This recipe was published in The Iowa Farm Register around 1955 (based on information on the other side). Full article is typed below along with a scanned copy (click to view large size).

This Brazil Nut Fruit Cake Is Easy To Make
By Alvina I. Mattes.

Probably no one ever really follows a recipe for fruit cake. If you’ve been making them for years, you no doubt scan a new recipe to see if it has anything you like that yours doesn’t have, then put it in.

As long as the basic proportion of fruits and nuts to batter is kept nearly the same, you’re not likely to have a failure.

Here’s a recipe that’s not too involved as fruit cakes go for you beginners.

For those of you who have your favorite recipes, try the showy sliced Brazils as your nutmeats.

This recipe makes about 4 1/2 pounds of fruit cake; enough for you and two or three near, dear friends who really appreciate good things to eat.

Brazil Nut Fruit Cake

1 1/4 cups shelled Brazil nuts
3 ounces finely cut candied orange peel
6 ounces thinly sliced citron
1/2 pound pitted dates, finely cut
2 cups raisins
1 cup currants
1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup shortening
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
3 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup orange juice

Method:

1. Cover nuts with cold water, bring slowly to boil. Boil about three minutes, or until they’ll slice easily. Drain and cut in thin lengthwise slices. Save some slices for decorating top of cakes if desired.
2. Combine nuts and next six ingredients in large bowl.
3. Sift flour with soda, salt and spices. Mix one-half cup of these ingredients with fruits and nuts; toss mixture to distribute ingredients evenly.
4. Cream shortening with orange rind; add brown sugar gradually and cream well.
5. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each.
6. Combine molasses with orange juice and add alternately with dry ingredients to shortening mixtures.
7. Add the batter to the fruits and mix well.
8. Turn mixture into four loaf pans 6 by 3 by 2 inches which have been well-greased and lined on the bottom with waxed paper.
9. Decorate with fruits and nuts. Bake in slow oven, 275 degrees, for 1 1/2 hours. Set shallow pan of water on bottom shelf of oven to make cakes moist.
10. Remove from oven and brush with glaze.

Fruit Cake Glaze

1 tablespoon light corn sirup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Method:

1. Combine corn sirup, brown sugar and water.
2. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved, then bring to full boil and add lemon juice.

Fruit cake needs from now until Christmas to ripen its flavor. Your grocer has fresh fruits and nuts waiting for you. Get your supply on your next visit to his store, for the time is now, or not at all.