Mother Church’s Spirited Dark Fruitcake

This cake may make you rethink fruitcake. It’s dark, very moist and soaked with plenty of spirits. What makes it distinctive is its lavish use of prunes, golden raisins and crystallized ginger instead of the ghoulish red and green stuff.

Mother Church isn’t a religious institution—it’s the Reverend Susan Campbell Church, vicar of the Episcopal Mission in Newport, Oregon, who developed this recipe. If you really want to taste something special, make this cake with prunes from