I've never like the citron filled fruit cakes that appear at Christmas. My wife developed this cake for my taste.

1 lb. chopped dates
1 lb. candied pineapple, chopped
1 lb. candied cherries, whole or chopped
2 lbs. pecans, whole or chopped
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
8 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla

Prepare and mix the first 4 ingredients in a large container. Mix the next 3 ingredients. Sift over the fruit/nuts until they are well dredged.

Prepare two 9x5x3 loaf pans as follows: grease well - line fully, with extension 1 to 2 inches above the top, using brown paper. If clean sack paper is used, you must avoid that with glue, ink, and colored dyes. You can hole the liner together with straight pins. Now grease the paper liners.

Lightly beat the last three ingredients together and stir in with the dredged fruit/nuts. This mixture will be very thick. Divide the mixture in half and pour into the paper-lined pans. Pay close attention to filling the corners. Absence of batter in the corners will make the cake look strange.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until a wooden pick comes out clean from the center. Often the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Turn out onto a cooling rack and remove the paper before storing. If wrapped well and stored in refrigerator, this cake will last for months.