Buttermilk Pecan Fruitcake

== Ingredients ==
* 4½ cups flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp salt
* 3 cups pears, dried, chopped
* 2 cups pecans, chopped
* 1 cup butter
* 3 cups sugar
* 4 eggs
* 2 tsp vanilla
* 2 cups buttermilk
== Directions ==
# Preheat oven to 400°F; grease and flour 4 loaf pans.
# Separate eggs.
# Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
# Add pears and pecans; stir again.
# Set aside.
# In large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
# Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
# Add vanilla and beat again.
# Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, blending well after each addition.
# With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until they stand in firm, glossy, moist peaks.
# Fold ⅓ egg whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites.
# Fill each pan ⅔ of batter.
# Reduce oven heat to 350°F.
# Bake 65 minutes, until tester inserted in center of each cake comes out clean.
# Ten minutes before cakes are done, rotate pans back to front to cakes on each rack brown evenly.
# Let cakes cool five minutes on wire racks, then turn out and finish cooling right side up on wire racks.
# Before serving, decorate top of fruitcakes with whole nuts and mixed candied fruit peel.
Category:Buttermilk Recipes
Category:Candied fruit Recipes
Category:Christmas fruitcake Recipes
Category:Dried pear Recipes
Category:Egg Recipes
Category:Pecan Recipes
Category:Wheat flour Recipes