White Fruit Cake

This fruit cake recipe was a favorite of Grandma.  She detested citron in fruit cake and worked diligently to find a recipe free of citron.  We think that she hit a home run with her citron free recipe that we call White Fruit Cake.

White Fruit Cake
2 sticks            salted butter
1 cup               sugar
¾ tsp               baking powder
2 cups              plain flour
½ lb                 red candied cherries
½ lb                 green candied cherries
½ lb                 candied pineapple
1 cup               blond raisins
1 cup               dark raisins
1 cup               chopped dates
1 quart             shelled pecans (uncooked)
2 tsp                vanilla extract
1 tsp                lemon extract
5 each              large eggs

*Preheat oven to 300ºF
*Cream butter with mixer or by hand
*Add sugar and continue creaming the butter mixture
*Beat eggs in a separate bowl and slowly add to the butter mixture
*Add vanilla and lemon extract to mixture
*Add pecans to mixture
*Place all fruit into a separate bowl 
*Pour flour over the fruit and stir until fruit is coated with the flour
*Pour butter mixture and fruit into a large container and mix thoroughly
*Grease and flour a large Bundt pan
*Pour mixture into Bundt pan
*Place in oven on middle rack
*Place a shallow pan of water on lower rack (maintains moister)
*Bake for 2 hours (do not open oven door for at least 2 hours unless severe browning has occurred)
*Stick fruit cake with a wooden toothpick.  If it comes out clean the cake is done.

Comments from my Wife (a Grand Daughter):
  "I have made grandma's white fruit cake and it is a labor of love.  It tastes nothing like commercial fruit cakes and rarely has anyone who has tasted it make corny fruit cake jokes again."

"I too have a distaste for citron and dry fruit cake.  This fruit cake is moist and the taste is fabulous."
                                                                                                              Chase Goode