Unlike last week’s boozy fruitcake, this is a “white” fruitcake that can be made at the last minute. It is my grandmother’s recipe. My handwritten cookbook shows I also made this one as a newly-wed living in Italy in December 1979, but I remember making it as a child “helping” my grandmother.
Ingredients:
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 pound brown sugar
6 eggs
2 ounces of lemon extract (yes, use the entire bottle). Because I like things LEMONY, I add 1 tsp of lemon oil and the zest of 1 lemon)
1 tsp baking powder
4 cups flour (divided 3 and 1)
1 pound pecans, chopped
1 pound candied cherries, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Heavily butter a 10″ angel food cake pan.
Cream brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Add lemon extract, oil, and zest.
Stir baking powder into flour, reserving 1 cup to dredge fruit and nuts.
Add flour to butter/sugar mixture and blend well.
Dredge fruit in reserved flour.
Mix in nuts, candied fruit, and remaining dredging flour and mix well.
My grandmother let hers sit out overnight on top of the refrigerator. I have skipped that step without any loss of flavor.
Spoon into the tube pan, decorating the top with cherries and whole pecans if desired.
Bake 1-1/2 hours at 250°F (or six 6×3 inch mini-loaf pans). I have made these in mini-Bundt pans and used half a candied cherry to make my own version of tette de venere.
Let cool 10 minutes then remove from pan. Place on cooling rack until thoroughly cool.
(I have made these in mini-Bundt pans and used half a candied cherry to make my own version of tette de venere.)
