Here we have a new recipe author, who I will call Mrs. Wilson. She lived in Louisiana and was associated with the medical profession. That’s about all I know about her, but her recipes look pretty good! This fruit cake reminds me a bit of the one Gram made from graham cracker crumbs.
Jackson’s Vanilla Wafer Fruit Cake (Mrs. Wilson)
13 1/2 oz Jacksons Vanilla Wafers
1 lb pecans
1/2 lb candied cherries
1/2 lb candied pineapple
1/4 lb white raisins
2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 sm can evap milk
1/8 tsp salt
Crush vanilla wafers with rolling pin.
Chop fruit & nuts, keeping out 4 cherries, 16 pecan halves & 2 slices pineapple.
Mix chopped nuts & fruit with vanilla wafer crumbs. Beat eggs well, add sugar, salt & milk. To this mixture add fruit, nuts & van. wafers, blending well.
Let stand while preparing pan with waxed paper liner.
Pack into pan, decorate top with cherries, pineapple & nut halves.
Bake in moderate (325) oven for one hour.
Gram's Recipe Box 
Where did Mrs.Wilson’s recipes come from?
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I found a little packet of recipes at a local curio shop, so I bought them. Inside was a slip of paper with her name and address, which of course I will not publish.
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This recipe appeared on Jackson’s Vanilla Wafer package for years. My mother used this recipe and it’s the only fruit cake I will eat. Delicious!
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I was planning on trying another fruit cake recipe so perhaps I’ll give this one a try. We don’t have Jackson’s Vanilla Wafers here, but I suppose Nabisco Nilla Wafers would be a fine substitute.
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Thank you for posting this recipe. My mom made this cake and I had lost the recipe. It’s the only fruit cake I’ll eat, too. I’ve also added chopped dried apricots and it’s great.
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That’s great! So glad you were able to find it here.
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I have made this for 30plus years. I don’t use raisins, but put candid pineapple instead. People, even non fruitcake people, give this raves!
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My husband Hollis, to whom I was married to for 50 years, now deceased in 2002 never ate fruitcake until he tasted of this recipe I made special for him. Now my children remember him each Christmas as we celebrate the holidays.
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What a great memory. I haven’t made this one yet but I was planning on trying it this year!
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I found this recipe on the back of a Jackson vanilla wafer pkg as a bride in 1971. I did not care for fruitcake, but it was part of my husband’s Christmas tradition, hence I tried this. He loved it, so it became part of our new family tradition. Our children love it also.
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I also found this recipe on the back of Jackson Vanilla Waffers in 1965 in Arkansas and no one in the family liked fruit cake until I made this one. Everyone loved this one. Now I live in Trinity Texas and drive back to Arkansas to get the Jackson wafers as I have not been able to find them in East Texas, but it is worth the drive.
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Been looking for this receipe!
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I have made this for years the recipe was on the back of the cookie bag in the 60s I wrap mine in brandy soaked cheese cloth in November and serve in December keeping it moistened with brandy in the fridge I prefer peach or blackberry brandy this is the best fruit cake ever!
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Hi. Want to make this recipe for my folks. They used to make them for the holidays and hand them out as gifts but stopped a few years ago. I want to send one to them as a surprise. BUT – what size pan? And do we really use WAX paper? Thank you Carol M. for the recommendation about wrapping in Brandy cheesecloth – sounds fantastic!
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I likely would use parchment paper in this instance. You can also find paper baking pans in standard loaf size and mini loaf size. When I’m making fruitcake for gifts I use the mini loaf ones.
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Thank you! When you say mini do you mean like 8x4x3 or like 6x3x2? And how would I adjust the time for whichever size?
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I have done 6×3 a few times. I think the way I adjusted was to cut the time in half and check at that point with a toothpick, then continue by 10 minute increments. Any over baking can be compensated with enough brandy. :-)
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Great. Thank you again. And, yes, brandy compensates for many things… ;-D
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Love this added 1 cup rum to batter before baking came out great. Thanks
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This recipe is very old it came on packages of jackson vanilla cookies i myself have made it for 40 years and it was old then . I always doubled my pecans than what it called for
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My mother made dozens of fruitcakes from this recipe every year. She soaked cheesecloth in apricot brandy and wrapped around each fruitcake. Then wrapped them tightly in foil and put in an airtight container. Every few days she took off the cheesecloth, re- soaked it and wrapped it back around the cakes. This made the moistest most flavorful fruitcakes ever! Of course, most of the alcohol evaporated, but the flavor was there.
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