Buttermilk Pecan Fruitcake

Ingredients

 * 4 1/2 	cup	flour
 * 2 	tsp	baking powder
 * 1 	tsp	baking soda
 * 1 	tsp	salt
 * 3 	cup	Pears, dried, chopped
 * 2 	cup	pecans, chopped
 * 1 	cup	butter
 * 3 	cup	Sugar
 * 4 	eggs
 * 2 	tsp	vanilla
 * 2 	cup	buttermilk

Directions

 * 1) Preheat oven to 400; 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 1/3 egg whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites.
 * 12) Fill each pan 2/3 of batter.
 * 13) Reduce oven heat to 350.
 * 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.