Recipe - Carrot Fruit Cake

One half cup Chopped dried apricots
(about 2One half ounces)
One half cup Chopped dried peaches
(about 2One half ounces)
One half cup Chopped dried Calimyrna
figs (about 21/z ounces)
3 tablespoon Bourbon
1 Three fourths cup Sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoon Baking powder
2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Ground nutmeg
One fourth teaspoon Ground allspice
Three fourths cup Pecans, toasted
3 lg Eggs
1 One half cup Sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
cut into 8 pieces, room
temperature
2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 lg Carrots, peeled, cut into
feed tube lengths
1 tablespoon Powdered sugar

A moist and tender dessert that will appeal to those who do not enjoy the
typical firm and dense fruitcakes. Dried apples, prunes or pears are other
delicious ingredients to use in this treat.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325!F. Generously butter 1
2cup bundt pan. Dust pan with flour.

Combine chopped fruits and bourbon in medium bowl and let stand 2 hours,
stirring occasionally. (Or to microwave: Place fruits and bourbon in 4cup
microwavesafe bowl. Cook uncovered on High until fruit is plumped, about
20 seconds. Stir well.

Steel Knife: Place flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and
allspice in work bowl. Process to "sift," about 5 seconds. Add pecans and
chop nuts coarsely using on/off turns. Transfer to sheet of waxed paper.

Place eggs, then 1 One half cups sugar into work bowl. Process until mixture is
thick and light, about 1 minute. Add butter and vanilla. Process until
mixture is fluffy, scraping down sides of work bowl as necessary, about 1
minute. Transfer egg mixture to large bowl.

Shredding Disk: Stand carrot pieces in feed tube. Shred using firm
pressure. Mix carrots into dried fruit mixture. Add One fourth Cup dry ingredients
and toss to coat, separating fruit pieces. Stir fruit mixture gently into
egg mixture. Fold in remaining dry ingredients.

Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan. Bake until tester inserted near
center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack
10 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 2
days ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature.) Place cake on platter.
Sift powdered sugar over and serve.

From the files of Al Rice, North Pole Alaska. Feb 1994

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini