Brazil Nut Date Cake

Directions

1. I know this is early for Christmas recipes, but which's just how it happened. This is a recipe for a very good "fruitcake" my mom used to make.
2. The interesting thing is the amount of Brazil nuts involved. We used to have a gathering and all pitch in to crack the nuts. The formula for shelling them is included. Enjoy
3. To shell the nuts easily, cover with cool water, bring to a boil, and boil 3 min. Drain and cover with cool water, then drain again. Crack and remove whole nut.
4. DIRECTIONS: Put whole nuts, dates, and cherries into a large mixing bowl.
5. Sift over this the dry ingredients. Mix well till coated. Beat Large eggs till foamy, add in vanilla and stir into fruit mix. Turn into a greased and waxed paper lined pan (9 1/2 X 5 1/2 X 2 1/2). Spread proportionately. The pan will be full. Bake in slow oven (300 degrees) for 1 hour and 45 min.
6. The cake must be entirely cold before cutting. It will keep for a long time if you can keep the fingers out of it. Wrap and store as with any fruit cake.
7. Note: To store a fruitcake, the way I remember is to take some clean rags, soak them in wine, and wrap the cake. This is then wrapped in aluminum foil, and the whole thing put into a plastic bag. A fruitcake stored this way will last several years.
8. /CAKES