Grandma Ann's Fruit Cocktail Cake
1) Pre-heat oven to 375F
2) Grease a 9 x 13" pan
3) Sift dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4) Stir in wet ingredients just until fully combined (If you overmix, the cake won't be as light.):
2 beaten eggs
one 16-oz can of fruit cocktail, including liquid (It's recommended to use fruit cocktail packed in syrup, rather than juice, which is supposed to affect the chemistry of the cake, but it's fine with either.)
5) Mix & sprinkle sugar & nuts over batter:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
6) Bake at 375F for 35-40 min
7) Boil topping for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk (4 oz)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
8) Add coconut to topping and boil for a few minutes more until it thickens - pour over hot cake:
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
9) Serve warm or cold with whipped cream
NOTES:
The usual reaction to the first taste is big surprise. It looks like a German chocolate cake at first glance. Then the flavours and textures kick in and POW. When I Googled my grandmother to make sure that I had correct dates below, I found some information that definitely qualifies as amazing about my great uncle Robert Fisher.
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~ From the recipes of Anne Donovan Fisher, Penn Yan, NY 1892-1989
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