Christmas cake west indian style

***Fruit Mixture***
   1      cup           raisins
   1      cup           currants
     1/2  cup           candied cherries
     1/2  cup           candied citrus peel
   1      cup           mixed dried fruit
   1      cup           rum
   1      cup           sweet sherry
                        or
                        port wine
                        ***Cake***
     1/2  pound         butter -- at room temperature
     1/2  cup           brown sugar
   4                    eggs
   2      cups          flour
   1      teaspoon      baking powder
   1      teaspoon      ground ginger
   1      teaspoon      ground nutmeg
   3      teaspoons     ground cinnamon
     1/2  teaspoon      ground cloves
     1/2  teaspoon      ground allspice
   2 1/2  teaspoons     lemon essence
   2 1/2  teaspoons     almond essence
   1      teaspoon      vanilla essence
     1/4  cup           brown food coloring -- up to 1/2 cup
     1/2  cup           rum
                        Additional rum for basting during storage

Fruit Mixture:  
     Mix together all the ingredients and store in a tightly sealed jar for
at least 1 month

The Cake: 
      Prepare a 10" deep round cake baking tin or a 13" x 9" baking tin by
lining it with two layers of waxed paper, greasing between the layers.  
     Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
     In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they are
light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each
addition.
     Sift the flour, baking powder and all the dry spices together.  Add
the lemon essence, almond essence and vanilla essence to the fruit mixture.
     By hand, stir tablespoonsful of the flour mixture and the fruit
mixture alternately into the butter, sugar and egg mixture.
     Add the browning gradually, stirring until a deepish brown colour is
reached.
     Turn the cake mixture into the baking tin, smooth the top and bake in
the oven for 3-4 hours or until a skewer or wooden toothpick, inserted,
comes out clean.  This can take an additional hour or two.
     Remove the cake from the oven, prick it all over with a skewer or
toothpick and pour the rum all over it.
     Remove the cake from the tin when it is cool, wrap it tightly in waxed
paper, place it in an airtight container and leave for a month for best
flavour.  Every week, prick the cake with a skewer and pour on about 1
tablespoon of rum.    (Makes one 5 pound cake. )

Serve with Hard Rum Sauce.

Full recipe name is Laurel-Ann's Wedding Cake  or Christmas Cake West
Indian Style