Preheat oven to 275 F. Position oven rack in the centre of the oven.
Line a 5" X 9" loaf pan with parchment paper.
Melt the butter and allow it to cool a little.
Whisk dry ingredients together.
Stir in fruits and nuts.
Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, orange juice, molasses, and lukewarm butter. Beat until blended. Stir into fruit mixture.
Turn batter into prepared pan and place into preheated oven. Cover with foil after about an hour. Bake for 1 hour and 30- to 1 hour and 45-minutes or until a fork inserted into the centre comes out clean. On an instant-read thermometer, the centre should have reached 205°F (96° C). Cool thoroughly on a wire rack.
Remove loaf from pan and parchment paper. Wrap in fruit juice-moistened cheesecloth. Overwrap with foil or store in a plastic bag. Store in refrigerator 2 - 4 weeks before serving. Remoisten cheesecloth once a week.
Notes
This is a dense cake and must be baked slowly in the middle of the oven, so the bottom and sides don't get burned before the centre is done.
Fruitcake becomes more moist with time as it sits in fruit-juice-moistened cheesecloth in the refrigerator for a few weeks.