This loaf fruit cake is loaded with dates, pecans, and cherries. Plan ahead to allow for cooking time. As with most fruit cakes, this one takes a long time in a low oven.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dates, chopped
- 2-1/2 cups coarsely ground pecans
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces red candied cherries (optional)
- 2 ounces green candied cherries (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Combine dates and pecans. Sift sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder over dates and nuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
In a separate dish, beat egg yolks until foamy (save egg whites for later), and add vanilla. Then add to date-pecan mixture and blend thoroughly. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Dough should be kind of stiff. Hint: To make cake look festive, add cherries cut in half to the pecan-date mixture.
Pack dough in greased and waxed-paper lined 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Bake in oven for 2-1/2 hours. Remove cake from oven, turn over loaf onto a cookie sheet, and remove wax paper. This is an easy fruitcake to make for Christmas.
Yield: 9 x 5 x 3 loaf
Recipe Source: Cooking with Cajun Women by Nicole Denee Fontenot (Hippocrene Books)
Reprinted with permission.
Combine dates and pecans. Sift sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder over dates and nuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
In a separate dish, beat egg yolks until foamy (save egg whites for later), and add vanilla. Then add to date-pecan mixture and blend thoroughly. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Dough should be kind of stiff. Hint: To make cake look festive, add cherries cut in half to the pecan-date mixture.
Pack dough in greased and waxed-paper lined 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Bake in oven for 2-1/2 hours. Remove cake from oven, turn over loaf onto a cookie sheet, and remove wax paper. This is an easy fruitcake to make for Christmas.
Yield: 9 x 5 x 3 loaf
Recipe Source: Cooking with Cajun Women by Nicole Denee Fontenot (Hippocrene Books)
Reprinted with permission.
