Fruitcake

My mother used to make this and send it around. It was the only fruitcake recipe I know of that people said they actually liked, and I think they weren't just being polite. I know I always like it.

This cake can be mellowed by letting sit in refrigerator for several weeks. After mellowing, store in freezer.

For 1 9 x 4.5 x 4 inch cake
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 lb whole Brazil nuts , shelled
  • 1 lb pitted whole dates
  • 16 oz maraschino cherries , drained
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  1. Preheat oven to 300 °F.
  2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking power and salt.
  3. Leave nuts, dates, and cherries whole and combine in a bowl.
  4. Sift dry ingredients over the top and mix until they are well coated.
  5. Beat eggs until frothy. Stir vanilla into eggs. Pour the eggs over the above mixture and mix until well blended.
  6. Spoon into 9 by 5 inch load pan that has been greased and floured. Batter will come nearly to the top of the pan but won't overflow during baking since it doesn't rise much.
  7. Bake about 1 1/2 hours until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Cool in pan fifteen minutes only, then invert on cooling rack. When cool, wrap in waxed paper then foil.
To serve: use very sharp knife to cut into slices. (Merrill cuts it in very thin pieces and it is very attractive).