"Keeping Cakes"

I'm looking for recipes for what my grandmother called "keeping cakes". I remember them being made in November for Christmas. They seemed to always have nuts and/or dried fruits, maybe liquor (I remember the funny smell). The key was that they were stored in tins until needed. The ones with liquor were treated along the way, I used to be the one to bring them up from the basement for dousing:)
This is going to be a "home-made" Christmas, so I'm starting with the baking now, and the more freezer space I can save, the better....

margo