White Fruit Cake
This is a Marshall family recipe that my Grandmother and Grandfather used to make for the Christmas holidays. It is different from any other fruitcake that I have ever had and is more cake-like in texture than traditional fruit cake. If you don't like traditional fruit cake, as I don't, give this a try.
This is a Marshall family recipe that my Grandmother and Grandfather used to make for the Christmas holidays. It is different from any other fruitcake that I have ever had and is more cake-like in texture than traditional fruit cake. If you don't like traditional fruit cake, as I don't, give this a try.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 pound butter grandparents used margarine
- 2 pounds pecans halves or pieces. grandparents used large pieces because they found that it made cutting the cake easier.
- 2 pounds citron cubed
- 1 pound mixed fruit cubed
- 1 pound coconut
- Carbohydrate 22.9331875664434 g
- Cholesterol 92.3155898875 mg
- Fat 32.7688484656 g
- Fiber 3.60690963555433 g
- Protein 6.58363626646252 g
- Saturated Fat 12.10190818592 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (120g)
- Sodium 258.627223246388 mg
- Sugar 19.3262779308891 g
- Trans Fat 2.1680666658775 g
- Calories 395 calories
Step-by-step
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Add eggs and blend well.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and blend well with a mixer.
- Pour the mixture into a large shallow pan, such as a roasting pan.
- Using a large spoon mix in the pecans, citron, mixed fruit and coconut one item at a time.
- This mixture weighs 10 pounds of cake batter, but will lose 1 pound during baking.
- This can be baked in anything from small/miniature muffin tins, to bread pans, to round cake pans, up to a large bundt cake pan. My grandparents usually made the miniature muffins because they were easy to serve for Christmas parties. When making large cakes they would use bundt cake pans so that they would cook evenly.
- My grandparents would line bread pans and round cake pans with wax paper. Muffin tins and bundt pans they would lightly butter.
- Preheat oven to 375º and then lower temperature to 300º. Bake in the center of the oven until lightly brown. Test frequently with a cake tester or tooth pick. When cake tester is dry and clean when removed the fruit cake is done. Do not over bake. Muffins will cook in a little more than 15 minutes, considerably faster than bread and cake pans.
- Merry Christmas from the Marshall family!
Traditional dark fruitcakes rely on molasses, heavy spices, and long curing periods, whereas this pale version trades those assertive elements for a buttery crumb dominated by coconut and pecans. Developing a lighter texture requires careful creaming of the butter and sugar to incorporate micro-airpockets that support the massive ten-pound weight of dense mix-ins. Large pieces of pecans actually improve structural integrity during slicing by creating natural fracture lines that prevent the crumb from crumbling.
Testing for Doneness Without a Thermometer
Because dense batters retain residual heat long after removal from the oven, relying solely on timer projections invites over-baking and dry edges. Preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and immediately dropping the heat to 300 degrees helps the exterior set before the interior boils, creating a gentle thermal gradient. Insert a wooden skewer deep into the center of the thickest portion of the pan; moist crumbs indicate the need for continued baking, while a clean extraction signals doneness. Miniature muffins require only fifteen minutes at the reduced temperature, whereas large bundt pans demand extended monitoring.
- Grease bundt pans and muffin tins thoroughly with softened butter, but line loaf pans with wax paper to prevent the high sugar content from adhering to the metal.
- Fold heavy fruits and nuts into the whipped batter gradually using a large spoon rather than an electric mixer to avoid breaking down the aeration.
- Store baked goods in airtight containers once completely cooled to allow ambient moisture redistribution throughout the dense crumb.
