Fruitcake That Won't Make You Gag

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• Baking spray
• 1/2 cup orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup dried figs, stemmed and quartered lengthwise
• 1/3 cup dried red plums or dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 medium-sized navel orange, scrubbed, seeds removed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped candied pineapple
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped candied orange peel
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 3/4 cup mild molasses
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature
• For the glaze:
• 1/2 cup cherry juice or orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. For the cake: Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Coat a Bundt pan well with baking spray.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the orange liqueur, cognac, raisins, cherries, figs, and plums or apricots. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and let it bubble gently until the fruit has softened and the liquid is down to about 2 tablespoons, 8 to 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool fully, about 20 minutes.
3. While that cools, add the orange pieces, dates, and fresh ginger to a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes pulpy. Spoon it into a large bowl, then mix in the cooled poached fruit, walnuts, pistachios, candied pineapple, candied orange peel, and candied ginger.
4. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the boiling water with the espresso powder and molasses until the mixture is completely blended.
6. In a large bowl, beat the oil, brown sugar, and eggs on medium speed until the mixture looks smooth, about 1 minute. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the molasses mixture, mixing only until everything comes together and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
7. Fold in the fruit mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester poked into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
8. Move the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes.
9. For the glaze: As the cake cools, put the orange juice, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the glaze has thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes.
10. Turn the cake out onto the cooling rack. Brush the warm glaze over the top and sides, then let the cake cool completely, 1 to 2 hours.