Brown Butter Fruitcake

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray, then line it with a piece of parchment paper long enough to have a generous overhang on each of the long sides (see NOTES). Grease the parchment as well.

Arrange the walnuts on a small, rimmed baking sheet and toast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until fragrant and golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then roughly chop and place in a small bowl.

While the nuts are toasting, in a medium bowl, toss together the figs, dates and dried cherries until combined.

In a 2-cup (480-milliliter) liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey or syrup, brandy, lemon juice and lemon zest until combined, and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, nutmeg and mace. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt to combine and aerate; set aside. (You might find that the brown sugar clumps a little; this is fine.)

In a 4- to 5-quart nonreactive pot over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the solids turn brown, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the spices (this will help bloom the flavor of the spices and suffuse them into the fruitcake). Carefully, add the honey or syrup mixture — the contents of the pot may bubble up — and stir to combine. Add the dried fruit mixture and stir to coat. Turn the heat back to medium-low and bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool until warm, about 20 minutes, or completely.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly to incorporate. Stir in the dry ingredients until no trace of flour remains, then fold in the walnuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with an offset spatula or spoon, if needed. Bake for 1 hour 35 minutes, or until the fruitcake is deep, burnished brown and has just begun to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Transfer the fruitcake to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Use the parchment sling to lift the fruitcake from the pan, and let cool completely before serving.

NOTES: Unlike traditional fruitcake, this recipe doesn’t call for aging. If you choose to age the fruitcake, wrap it well in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, place it in a lidded container and store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. You’ll need to dampen the cheesecloth with brandy every few days. Otherwise, place the cake in an airtight container and store on the countertop. It can be made up to 5 days in advance, and freezes beautifully, if you have extra.

The cake also can be made in two 6-inch round cake pans. If using the round pans, cut two parchment paper circles to fit the bottom of the pans, then liberally spray with nonstick baking spray. Proceed with the rest of the recipe, but decrease the baking time to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, then run a butter knife around the perimeter of the cake before unmolding. If you let the fruitcake cool completely in the pan, you may find it trickier to unmold — it’s easiest when the fruitcake is still slightly warm.