Combine

• 2 cups dried apples, finely chopped
• 6 ounces dried apricots, chopped
• 8 ounces pitted whole dates, snipped into small pieces
• 1 cup currants
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ¾ cup calvados (or apple juice)

(Note that this totals to about 8 cups of fruit but the volume will vary depending on how it is packed and how large the pieces are cut.)  Let mixture stand 1 hour.

Meanwhile, stir together and set aside

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground allspice

Preheat over to 300º F. Make batter by creaming

• 1 cup butter

Blend in

• 1 cup sugar

One at a time, beating after each, add

• 6 eggs

Add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with a total of

• 16 ounces applesauce

Stir in fruit after incorporating flour. Grease and flour pans: I use 2 9- by 5-inch loaf pans, but you may choose to make one large cake in a 10-inch tube pan.  The tube pan takes 2 hours to cook and the loaf pans take about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Cool cake(s) and remove from pan(s). Soak cheesecloth in

• brandy as needed

wrapping cake(s) in cheesecloth, then in a plastic bag. Store the cake at room temperature, but avoid hot places. Check back on the cake every 2 weeks and if the cheesecloth has dried, be sure to re-soak the cloth and re-wrap the cake. The cakes will need about 6-8 weeks of aging before they are ready to eat.

♦ATTN The brandy you choose will change the flavor of the cake. A fruit-flavored brandy, such as Calvados or Grappa would probably be great. I’ve used Metaxa and been quite happy, but I’ve also had great results with cheap blackberry-flavored brandy, which is what my mother always used.