Grandma Leone’s Fruit Cake

Don’t get this cake confused with the traditional fruit cake. It is so much more. This recipe has been handed down for 3 generations and I now want to share it with all of you. Don’t get nervous with all the ingredients. Everything gets hand-mixed in 1 great big bowl.

Original recipe makes 20 servings

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups raisins
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound pecan halves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups candied fruit

  • PREP

    30 mins

  • COOK

    1 hr 40 mins

  • READY IN

    2 hrs 10 mins

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8×8-inch baking pans.
  2. Bring water and raisins to a boil in a saucepan; cook until raisins are plump, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool raisins; reserve raisin water.
  3. Mix 3 cups flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Place pecans and 2 tablespoons flour in a resealable plastic bag; close and shake bag until pecans are coated. Pour pecans into a colander and shake off excess flour.
  4. Whisk sugar, oil, eggs, and cooled raisin water together in a bowl; fold in candied fruit. Stir flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, into sugar mixture until fully incorporated; fold in raisins and pecans. Fill the prepared pans a little over half full.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C); bake until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 more hour.

Nutrition

Calories: 621 kcal
Carbohydrates: 77.7 g
Cholesterol: 42 mg
Fat: 34.5 g
Fiber: 4.5 g
Protein: 5.8 g
Sodium: 465 mg