INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare Cake, Heat oven to 325'F. Grease and flour a 10-inch ring  mold
or tube pan. In large bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed,  beat
butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a  time,
beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and  gingerroot until
well blended. In small bowl, combine flour, baking  powder, and salt.
With mixer at low speed, beat flour mixture into  butter mixture just
until combined. Spread batter evenly in prepared  pan and bake 30 to 35
minutes or until cake tester inserted in center  comes out clean.
(Meanwhile, begin step 3.) Cool cake in pan on wire  rack 10 minutes;
invert the pan onto wire rack and unmold the cake.  Sprinkle rum over
cake, if desired, and cool completely. Prepare  Fruit Garland: In
3-quart saucepan, combine cranberry juice, 1/2 C  sugar, the port, 2
lemon quarters, and the food coloring, if desired.  Heat to boiling
over low heat; simmer, stirring occasionally while  you prepare fruit.
Peel one pear and cut in half vertically; remove  core from both
halves. Place one pear half in simmering juice  mixture. After 5
minutes cut remaining pear half in wedges about  1/4-inch thick and add
to juice mixture. Simmer 2 minutes longer or  until wedges are barely
tender. Remove from heat and let pear half  and wedges stand in juice
mixture 1 hour or until they are  rosecolored. In small saucepan,
combine water, remaining 1/2 C sugar,  and 2 lemon quarters; heat to
boiling, stirring occasionally.  Avoiding the core, cut remaining pear,
unpeeled, into 1/4-inch-thick  wedges. Drop wedges in simmering sugar
mixture and cook 2 to 3  minutes or until just tender; remove with
slotted spoon to drain on  paper towels and set aside. Heat sugar
mixture to boiling over high  heat; cook until mixture reduces to a
heavy syrup about 12 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and add orange-peel
strips; cook until soft-about  5 minutes. With fork, remove strips to
small dish and set aside to  cool completely. To decorate cake, drain
rose-colored pear half and  wedges on paper towel; cut the pear half
into 1/4-inch-thick wedges  for slices that are white inside with a
thin rose-colored band around  edge. In small bowl in microwave or
small saucepan over low heat,  melt apple jelly. Brush top of cake with
some jelly; arrange all 3  kinds of pear slices in a leaf-like garland
on top of cake. Brush  slices with remaining apple jelly. Arrange small
clusters of grapes  among pear slices and scatter candied orange-peel
strips over top.  Serve or cover loosely with plastic wrap and
refrigerate until  serving.  Country Living/December/92 Scanned & fixed
by Di Pahl & <gg>  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 550
Calories From Fat: 221
Total Fat: 25.1g
Cholesterol: 130.8mg
Sodium: 246.8mg
Potassium: 91.4mg
Carbohydrates: 79.1g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 58.8g
Protein: 4.3g