Ingredients

　　7 egg whites

　　1 cup candied cherries

　　1 cup candied pineapple

　　1 pound golden raisins

　　4 cups pecans, chopped

　　2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

　　2 cups sugar

　　One 6-ounce package frozen grated coconut

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a tube or loaf pan with brown paper and grease the paper. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and set aside. In another large bowl, combine the candied fruits, raisins, and nuts. Add the flour and salt, and toss to mix; set aside. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the beaten egg whites, then the coconut and vanilla. Add the fruit to the coconut mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 2 1/4 hours.

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.