Brazillian Food

I know this is early for Christmas recipes, but thats just how it happened. This is a recipe for a very good "fruitcake" my mom used to make.
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
To shell the nuts easily, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil 3 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water, then drain again. Crack and remove whole nut.
DIRECTIONS: Put whole nuts, dates, and cherries into a large mixing bowl.
Sift over this the dry ingredients. Mix well until coated. Beat eggs until foamy, add vanilla and stir into fruit mixture. Turn into a greased and waxed paper lined pan (9 1/2 X 5 1/2 X 2 1/2). Spread evenly. The pan will be full. Bake in slow oven (300 degrees) for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The cake must be entirely cool 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.
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.
/CAKES