2 cups date, pitted
½ pound candied pineapple
½ pound candied cherries, whole
1 1/3 pound coconut
1 pound chopped nuts (4 cups)
¾ cups flour
1 package yellow cake mix (dry)
½ cup applesauce
4 eggs, unbeaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange extract
Combine first five ingredients: dates, pineapple, cherries, coconut and nuts. Set aside. Mix all other ingredients together. Stir in fruit and nut mixture. Pour into greased loaf or tube pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Note: This is my mom’s recipe. I do not care for traditional fruit cakes with citron and all of that, but I love this fruit cake.