Chocolate-Cherry Fruitcake

This is a delicious, decadent fruitcake that is, in my opinion a tasty change from the old tried and true variety. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as my family does. These cakes will last, well-wrapped, for about a week. If you want a really boozy cake, you can brush with additional liquor every few days before serving. They can be frozen, altho if you choose that route, don't add liquor to them. You can rewarm them once they're thawed out and add it later. Amounts will vary depending on how large you serve. Source: David Lebovitz from the Food Network.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 2 loaf pans

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups dried cherries, well chopped
• 1⁄4 cup  of your choice rum or 1⁄4 cup  whiskey or 1⁄4 cup Amaretto, plus
• 6  tablespoons rum or 6  tablespoons  whiskey or 6  tablespoons Amaretto
• 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 10  tablespoons butter, at room temperature (salted or unsalted)
• 2  cups sugar
• 2  large eggs, at room temperature
• 1  egg yolk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2⁄3 cup buttermilk (regular or low-fat) or 2⁄3 cup plain yogurt (regular or low-fat)
• 1  cup walnuts, pecans or 1  cup  almonds, toasted and finely chopped
• 3⁄4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180C.).
2. A day or so before you make the cake, toss the cherries in 1/4 cup liquor. Cover, and let macerate (soak up the liquor).
3. To bake the cakes, grease two 9-inch(23cm)loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper and dust with cocoa powder.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or by hand,.
6. beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Stir together the eggs and yolk with the vanilla, then dribble them in while beating.
7. Mix in one-third of the flour/cocoa mixture, then half of the buttermilk or yogurt. Then mix in another third of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the yogurt or buttermilk. Finally, add the remaining dry ingredients, and gently stir in the nuts, chocolate chips and cherries.(which should have absorbed all the liquid. If not, add that as well.).
8. Divide and smooth the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes, or unril a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand on the counter-top for about 15 minutes.
9. With a skewer, poke about 50 holes in the cake and spoon 3 tablespoons of liquor over each cake. Let cool.