Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a standard 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with a generous layer of butter. Chop the fruit if it’s not already (you should have about 4 cups).
Put the fruit in a medium saucepan with the ginger, zest, rum or non-alcoholic beverage, and 1 cup water. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat so the mixture gently bubbles. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the fruit softens, then turn off the heat; keep covered and let sit until cool while you prepare the batter.
Whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture by hand until just combined; the batter will be stiff and dry at this point.
Drain the steeped fruit over a bowl, pressing down to extract as much of the liquid as possible. (Save the juices for flavoring tea or as a cooking liquid for grains.) Fold in the almonds. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and set the pan in a rimmed baking sheet to catch any dribbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 90 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan until you can handle it without mitts. Transfer the cake to a large bowl; it’s going to break apart and that’s fine. Scrape out every last bit and work through the crumble with a fork to help let it cool.
Spread the powdered sugar into a rimmed baking sheet. Use your hands to grab pinches of the fruitcake and roll into balls about 11/2 inches across. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar. Store the balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month if you used rum or a couple weeks if you used a non-alcoholic beverage. (They freeze well for weeks, too.)
— Recipe developed by The Bittman Project for Bob’s Red Mill