M.J. MARRS | HONDO, TEXAS

Recipes for white fruitcakes, which lack the trademark molasses and spices of dark fruitcakes, first appeared in print in 1877, in Buckeye Cookery by Estelle Woods Wilcox and The White House Cookbook by Fanny Lemura Gillette. Some were baked traditionally, while others were baked over a pan of water, like a pudding. In fact, a pressure cooker was originally used to make this recipe, which would date it no earlier than the 1930s. M.J. writes in her letter, "The cake was originally cooked in an old-fashioned canner (pressure cooker). Everyone used them to preserve meat, chicken, vegetables, and fruits. The pressure cooker was as important to the kitchen then as the microwave is today." SERVES 16

2 cups golden raisins
2 cups candied cherries, quartered
2 cups candied pineapple, chopped coarse
2 cups pecans, chopped coarse
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1½ tablespoons lemon extract
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Grease a 12-cup tube pan and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper. Grease the paper. Toss the raisins, cherries, pineapple, and pecans together in a large bowl until combined.

2. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, lemon extract, and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the fruit and nut mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and lower the pan into the simmering water. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the cake is firm to the touch, about 1½ hours, adding water as needed. Remove the pot from the heat, remove the lid, and leave the cake pan in the water until it is cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Remove the tube pan from the pot and invert the cake onto a rack. Place the rack on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the exterior of the cake is no longer wet, about 20 minutes. Cool the cake completely, at least 2 hours. Serve. (The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)

Notes from the Test Kitchen
Sweet and fruity without being cloying, this cake is very appealing. The first time we made it, we cooked it in a pressure cooker as directed. But we didn't notice any difference between cakes made this way and cakes that were steamed in a covered Dutch oven. So we omitted the pressure cooker altogether, which made the process easier. And we opted to use a standard tube pan rather than coffee cans (Nell's recipe mentioned both as options). It is essential to give this cake a chance to dry out in the oven or you'll end up with a cake that is unappealingly sticky. Be sure to use lemon extract rather than lemon flavoring, which will overpower all the other flavors in this delicate fruitcake.

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