Chocolate Drambuie Fruit Cakes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups golden raisins
2 cups raisins, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups dried currants
1 1/2 cups pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup mixed candied peel
2/3 cup red glace cherries, quartered
1 1/3 cups Drambuie
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp finely grated lemon peel
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
6 None eggs
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely grated
1 1/3 cups pecans, chopped coarsely
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup pecan halves
6 None glace cherries

Preparation

Combine fruit, 1 cup of the liqueur, honey and lemon peel in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a cool, dark place for one week, stirring every 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 250\u00b0F. Grease a 6-cup Texas muffin pan; line bottom with parchment paper. Line a deep 9-inch round or a deep 9-inch square cake pan with 4 layers of parchment paper, extending paper 2 inches above sides.
Beat butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until just combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir butter mixture into fruit mixture. Stir in chocolate and chopped nuts. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, in two batches.
Fill each muffin cup level to the top with batter. Spread remaining batter into cake pan. Decorate tops with pecan halves and glace cherries.
Bake muffins 1 1/2 hours (the cake can stand while muffins are baking). Brush hot muffins with half of the remaining liqueur. Cover with foil. Cool in pan.
Increase oven temperature to 300\u00b0F. Bake large cake for 3-3 1/4 hours or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Brush hot cake with remaining liqueur. Cover with foil; wrap in a clean towel. Cool in pan overnight.