Fantastic Light Fruitcake

Submitted by Mama Meerkat

"I am not a lover of fruit cakes, but this one is different. My mother and I make these every Christmas for gifts."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 40mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 2 bundt cakes
• Serves: 24

ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 lb butter
• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 2 tsp. water
• 2 ounces lemon extract
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 cup candied cherry
• 1 cup candied pineapple
• 1 lb white raisins
• 2 quarts pecans
• 1 (14 ounce) package angel flake coconut

directions

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Add extract, orange juice and soda water.
4. Add cherries, pineapple, and pecans until all is added. I used to mix all by hand, but now I have a larger mixer that works well and I only mix the cherries, pineapple and pecans by hand.
5. Drop batter by spoonsful into lightly greased and floured pans. Batter will be very heavy.
6. Bake at 275 until firm to touch.
7. This will make 2 large bundt pans, or a loaf pan and several small pans for gifts. The small pans take about 55-60 minutes and the large tube pans take about 65-80 minute The bundt pan will take longer. You can cut the recipe in half since the batter is so heavy and each half makes a whole bundt pan or one large and three smaller loaf pans.

Reviews

[cinda37379]

I have also been using this same recipe for years...and it is wonderful!!! Even people that "claim" they don't like fruitcake love it and request it every year. Because you use pineapple and cherries and not citron you don't have a bitter taste..which is what people don't like. The coconut also keeps it very moist. Be careful not to overcook because it does dry out. This cake gets better the longer you have it..altho ours doesn't ever last that long. My family loves to eat it..with all things...homemade vanilla icecream. Thanks for posting..I hope all those "I hate fruit cake" people out there will give this recipe a try..and they will surely be pleased!