Fruit Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

For fruit mixture

  • 3 to 4 cups sliced fruit
  • 1/4 c. sugar, split
  • 5 tsp cinnamon

For batter

  • 2 c. sugar
  • 3 c. flour
  • 1 c. vegetable oil
  • 1 T vanilla extract
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 c. orange juice (original recipe uses normal strength, but I use concentrate)
  • 4 eggs

Instructions:

Fruit mixture:  Combine all ingredients for fruit mixture and set aside

*** For Italian prunes, can halve or quarter the fruit.  Add 4 cups to a 1 quart plastic freezer bag.  Add 1/4 c. sugar and refrigerate overnight.  Mix bag back and forth until sugar dissolves.  Then, remove all air and freeze.  Keeps for long time (years).  May be able to do this with other fruit.

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. 
  2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar & salt into a bowl. 
  3. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
  4. Spoon 1/3 of batter into a greased 9" or 10" tube or Bundt pan. Drain the fruit of excessive liquid. Make a ring of about 1/2 of the fruit, taking care not to let the fruit touch the sides of the pan. Cover with a thin layer of batter.  Repeat with another layer of fruit and then the remaining batter.
  5. Bake about 75 minutes or until done. Cover top with aluminum foil if it begins to over brown (last 15 to 30 minutes).

Allow to cool to lukewarm in pan before turning out onto a serving plate.