From Ruth Finney, Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance Second Helpings, National Press Club:
This white fruit cake has been a great success at all-night gatherings to keep track of vote tabulations. I baked on in 1960 to take to the office, where we worked all night and ate a picnic supper provided by various women on the staff. Also on election day before the polls close, I find there is a big vacuum. The job of preparing and mixing the ingredients for this fussy cake is a good way to fill it.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups sifted flour
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 ½ cups candied fruits and raisins*
- 1 cup butter
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp lemon extract
Steps
- Line a pan with tube in center with wax paper, greasing both pan and paper.
- In a mixing bowl use a generous amount of the flour to shake over fruits and nuts, stirring them around to make sure all have some flour coating.
- Thoroughly cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs, one by one.
- Sift together baking powder, salt and flour. To the egg mixture add flour mixture and milk alternately. Be sure not to forget the flavoring – vanilla and lemon. Add nuts and fruits.
- Spoon cake mixture carefully into tube pan so fruit will not settle to the bottom. Handle the pan carefully. Bake at least 1 ½ hours in a slow oven – 225 degrees. If top starts to get too brown before cake is cooked through, place a lid or cookie sheet over it. Cake is best eaten when freshly cooked. *Choose among these: Dark seeded or white seedless raisins; candied pineapple, orange and lemon peel; cherries, citron. Or use mixed fruit as combined in little jars. But don’t forget some raisins.