Help with Lane cake recipe?

Hi, I'm baking a lane cake for a class presentation. It says in the recipe that I have to use brandy extract. The thing is, I've looked all over town for it, but I have yet to find some. So, I was wondering if I could just use vanilla extract instead. Also, the recipe calls for candied cherries, and I can't find those either. Would it be okay if i just skipped the cherries? Thanx :)