Bringing fruitcake back from butt of jokes

I HAVE A GUILTY pleasure to admit: I actually like fruitcake. Not the cheap doorstop lead-weights that brood ominously on drugstore shelves - those aren't for me. I love dense fruit-studded cake soaked with plenty of booze. I love a torte loaded with nuts and cherries and pineapple and plump raisins. And I know I'm not alone in being nuttier than a you-know-what about this much-maligned treat.