Winter Soltice

Here's Darcy's recipe for Yule Cake3 sticks softened butter3 tablespoons softened butter1 ¼ and 2 Tablespoons flour¾ cup chopped candied cherries1 ¼ raisins*1 ¼ cups dried currants*1 ½ cups granulated sugar1 teaspoon ground allspice1 Tablespoon salt1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)Preheat over to 300 degrees.  Using a pastry brush, use the 3 Tablespoons of softened butter to coat the sides and bottom of a 9 x 3-inch springform cake pan.Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of flour into the pan and tip the pan to coat the sides evenly.Combine the cherries, raisins* and currants* in a bowl. Then, add ¼ cup flour and stir into the fruit with a spoon to coat evenly.  Set aside.In a large bowl, cream the 3 sticks of butter, granulated sugar, and 2 additional Tablespoons of flour until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then gradually beat in the rest of the flour, allspice, and salt.  Add the nut mixture, ½ cup at a time to the batter, beating well after each addition.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly with a spatula.Bake on the middle rack for 1.5 hours or until the top of your Yule cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Substitutions for raisins and/or currents:Dried cranberriesDried blueberriesChopped datesPrunes