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.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 621 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cups raisins
• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• 1 ½ cups canola oil
• 3 cups candied fruit

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8x8-inch baking pans.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.