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–+ servings

Grandma Leone's Fruit Cake

A classic fruit cake filled with raisins, nuts, and candied fruits, perfect for family gatherings and holiday celebrations.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 16 servings
Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients

  • 3 cups water
  • 1.5 cups raisins
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound pecan halves
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for coating pecans)
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1.5 cups canola oil
  • 4 large eggs (beaten)
  • 3 cups candied fruit

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8x8 inch baking pans.
  • In a saucepan, bring the water and raisins to a boil. Cook until the raisins are plump, about 2 minutes. Drain the raisins and let them cool, but save the raisin water.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a resealable plastic bag, combine the pecans and 2 tablespoons of flour. Shake until the pecans are coated, then pour into a colander to shake off any extra flour.
  • In another bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, and cooled raisin water. Gently fold in the candied fruit.
  • Gradually add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, to the sugar mixture until combined. Finally, fold in the raisins and pecans.
  • Fill the prepared baking pans a little more than halfway full with batter.

Baking

  • Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake for about 1 more hour, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serving

  • Let the cake cool down after baking. Serve plain or dust with powdered sugar. Great with a cup of tea or coffee!

Notes

Ensure the raisins are fully cooled before mixing them into the batter. Don’t overmix to maintain a light texture. You can adjust the amount of candied fruit to suit your taste. Feel free to add your favorite nuts or dried fruits.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 4gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 200mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25g
Keyword Fruit Cake, Grandma's recipe, Holiday Cake
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