Note: This was Mother’s version of a fruit cake and one that we grew up with. To this day, it is the only fruit cake I like. This recipe was deciphered from a hand-written copy that is nearly 50 years old. We have no idea of the origin of the recipe. If it looks like one from your past, share with us.
Ingredients
- 3 cups nuts (I always remember her using pecans; selection of the nut is up to the cook)
- 1 lb. dates, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup red candied cherries
- 1 cup green candied cherries
- She did give us the option of two cups of red
- ¾ cup sifted flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Mix fruit, nuts and dates in bowl
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt over the fruit and nuts
- Mix well using hands
- Beat eggs in a separate bowl and add vanilla
- Pour egg mixture over fruit and mix with hands
- Pack down into loaf pan or small tube pan
- Bake about 1 ½ hours at 300 degrees
Note: For a look at yesteryear in the remote reaches of the West Texas oil patch, here are her directions for lining the pan:
“I always line my pan with a double thickness of brown paper and grease the pan before and after putting in the paper.” (The brown paper came from the brown paper grocery sacks of the time. These sacks were repurposed for a variety of uses, including draining fried chicken, wrapping packages to mail, etc.)
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