Caribbean Sunset Rum Fruit Cake

Ingredients

3 C. self-rising flour (or 3 C. all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. soda, 2 tsp. baking powder and dash of salt blended together)

1 1/2 C. unsalted margarine or butter

1 1/2 C. granulated sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 1/2 Tbs. grated lime zest (grated pulp and rind)

1 C. heavy whipping cream

3/4 C. dark rum

1/2 C. tropical trail mix (chop dried banana chips into smaller pieces)
1/2 C. dried cherries

1 C. chopped dried apricots

1 C. quartered or coarsely chopped pecan halves

1/3 C. walnut chips

1/2 C. coarsely chopped almonds

powdered sugar for dusting cake

Additional rum for sprinkling cake (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and stir until blended. Beat in the lime zest and then add the rum and mix. Gradually add the flour, alternating with the cream and ending with the flour. Blend mixture until just combined; do not over blend. Add dried fruit and nuts and fold into mixture. Pour batter into a well-greased and floured 10-cup tube pan and bake for almost one hour. Test doneness with a skewer inserted halfway between the sides of the pan and the tube. Cool and turn the cake out of the pan. Sprinkle with additional rum if desired and dust the top with the confectioner's sugar. If you sprinkle with additional rum, let sit for one day to absorb flavor of rum.  It is best to refrigerate this cake because of the cream in the ingredients.