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

 * 1) Preheat oven to 400°F; grease and flour 4 loaf pans.
 * 2) Separate eggs.
 * 3) Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
 * 4) Add pears and pecans; stir again.
 * 5) Set aside.
 * 6) In large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
 * 7) Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
 * 8) Add vanilla and beat again.
 * 9) Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, blending well after each addition.
 * 10) With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until they stand in firm, glossy, moist peaks.
 * 11) Fold ⅓ egg whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites.
 * 12) Fill each pan ⅔ of batter.
 * 13) Reduce oven heat to 350°F.
 * 14) Bake 65 minutes, until tester inserted in center of each cake comes out clean.
 * 15) Ten minutes before cakes are done, rotate pans back to front to cakes on each rack brown evenly.
 * 16) Let cakes cool five minutes on wire racks, then turn out and finish cooling right side up on wire racks.
 * 17) Before serving, decorate top of fruitcakes with whole nuts and mixed candied fruit peel.