INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine well the raisons, the prunes, the currents,
the cherries, the peels, the wine and the rum and let the fruit
macerate, covered at room temperature for at least two weeks.  In A
heavy skillet combine 1 lb of the brown sugar and one cup of  water,
bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring and  washing
down any sugar crystals clinging to the side with a brush  dipped in
cold water, until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the syrup,  swirling the
skillet occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes or until it is  reduced to 1
and 3/4 cup Let the burnt sugar syrup cool and reserve  it. Into a
bowl, sift together the flour, the baking powder, the  nutmeg, and the
cinnamon. In the large bowl of an electric mixer  cream together the
remaining pound of brown sugar and the butter  until the mixture is
light and fluffy and beat in the eggs, one at a  time, beating well
after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, the  flour mixture, and 1 1/3
cups of the of the reserved burnt sugar  syrup, reserving the remaining
syrup for another use.  In another large bowl combine the flour mixture
and the fruit mixture  and divide the batter between two buttered and
floured 10 inch  springform pans. Bake the cakes in the middle of a pre
- heated  350øF. oven 1 hour and 5= 0 minutes or until the cakes are
set and a  tester inserted into the centers comes out with some crumbs
adhering  to it. (The centers of the cakes will be quite moist.) Let
the cakes  cool in the pans on a rack, remove the sides and the bottoms
of the  pans and wrap the cakes in foil or wax paper. Let the cakes
stand at  room temperature for 1 week.  Roll out half the almond paste
between two sheets of platic wrap to  form a 10 inch round and remove
the top sheet of plastic wrap. Fit  the almond paste over one of the
cake layers, trimming the edge if  necessary, remove the other sheet of
platic wrap and fit the  remaining almond paste onto the remaining cake
in the same manner.  Make the icing: In a bowl, with an electric mixer
beat 4 cups of the  confectioners sugar, the egg whites, and the lemon
juice for 4 to 6  minutes or until the mixture holds soft peaks. Beat
in the remaining  3 cups confectonsers sugar and beat until the icing
holds stiff peaks.  Transfer 2 cups of the icing to a pastry bag fitted
with a decorative  tip, spread the remaing icing on the tops and the
sides of the cakes  with a long metal spatula, and pipe the icing in
the icing bag  decoratively onto the cakes. Arrange the dragees on the
cakes. Makes  2 cakes. Laurie Colwin for an article in Gourmet Magazine
NOTES : "There is fruitcake and there is black cake, which is to
fruitcake what Brahms's piano quartets are to Muzak.  It's closest
relatives are plum pudding and black bun, but they are mere third
cousins twice removed. Black cake, like truffles and vintage  Burgundy,
is deep, complicated, and intense. It is light and dense at  the same
time and demands to be eaten in a slow, meditative way" So  said Laurie
Colwin in an article in the November 1988 issue of  Gourmet. I was so
intrigued by this recipe that I immediatly snipped  it out to "save".
Save it I did....lost for 9 years, it just  reappered during an
especially vigorous file cleaning session. It  sounds marvelous. Posted
to MM-Recipes Digest V4 #266 by  LBotsko@aol.com on Oct 09, 1997

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 491
Calories From Fat: 97
Total Fat: 11.1g
Cholesterol: 78.3mg
Sodium: 119.4mg
Potassium: 302mg
Carbohydrates: 59.3g
Fiber: 1.7g
Sugar: 35.3g
Protein: 6.2g