Have you ever given, or received the dreaded Xmas fruitcake?

Naturally said:
I've gifted Assumption Abbey Fruitcakes made by monks at a Trappist Monastery in Missouri.
Don't know if they're any good though. Never ate one.

When Assumption Abbey was first developing its bakery, the monks sought the help of world class chef Jean-Pierre Augé, who at one time served in the royal employ of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Mr. Augé's assistance, and his generosity in providing the recipe and ideas for production, gave the monks the impetus to go forward with the Assumption Abbey Fruitcakes.
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Now that looks to be a proper fruitcake.
 

@bowmore is right. Collin St Bakery, is the best fruitcake made. I have grown up on them and love them. A slice is good for December breakfast with a cup of coffee and I usually manage to finish one off during the month by myself. Don't say you don't like fruitcake if you have never tried one of these.
 
I have never given but have received fruitcake and have bought a few small ones. I like two or three pieces at Christmas and save the rest in the freezer to eat during the year. A couple of pieces in spring - summer- and fall. I think they taste better with an ounce of rum poured on them.
 

In the Forest Service fire packs we took out on overnights we had C Rations, each one contained a desert in a can. About one third of them were fruit cake. It was demoralizing to open a ration after a day of digging fire line and find out your dinner came with fruit cake.
 
I was once given a mock fruit cake that was made with gum drops instead of fruit. It was very good. The cake may have had a different texture too. It was many years ago. I just remember being delightfully surprised.
 
Store bought fruitcake around here is just glorified raisin bread and pretty yucky.
My mom used to make one almost every year. Lots of nuts and candied fruit in it. She'd "season" it with some sort of alcohol a few weeks before the holiday. She liked the "dark" style of cake. Now I'll never have one like hers again. :cry:
Anyone that has an edible fruitcake and doesn't want it, just send it to me. ;)
 
I like the little Claxton fruit cakes but so high in calories. I also love a nutcake. It's like a fruitcake but dense with all nuts.


I've never had homemade but I bet it is good!
BC Flash said:
We use to get a Christmas cake or two for Christmas. I would steam serving size protions and topped with custard as a dessert.
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That is a great idea!
 
I took over the fruitcake making from my grandmother, using her recipe. I made them for a few years. It was a labor of love. It took from Friday evening to late Sunday evening to finish about 10 fruitcakes and a lot, and I mean a lot, of money.

Everyone said they loved them.....I know they ate them. One of my sisters saved hers for the top layer of her wedding cake.

It just got to be too much, labor AND money to keep it up.

I DO love a well-made fruitcake.
 
Did you ever see the story "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote? Set in the 1930s, an old woman made dozens of fruitcakes and sent them to people, even the President. It was dramatized twice to my knowledge - in 1966 with Geraldine Page (my favorite version) and again in 1997 with Patty Duke. I recommend it to watch. It's probably available on some online video site or through a streaming service.
 
jujube said:
I took over the fruitcake making from my grandmother, using her recipe. I made them for a few years. It was a labor of love. It took from Friday evening to late Sunday evening to finish about 10 fruitcakes and a lot, and I mean a lot, of money.

Everyone said they loved them.....I know they ate them. One of my sisters saved hers for the top layer of her wedding cake.

It just got to be too much, labor AND money to keep it up.

I DO love a well-made fruitcake.
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jujube,

Is your recipe a family secret or would you be willing to share?
 
debodun said:
Store bought fruitcake around here is just glorified raisin bread and pretty yucky.
My mom used to make one almost every year. Lots of nuts and candied fruit in it. She'd "season" it with some sort of alcohol a few weeks before the holiday. She liked the "dark" style of cake. Now I'll never have one like hers again. :cry:
Anyone that has an edible fruitcake and doesn't want it, just send it to me. ;)
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Thats the kind I make, and I'm keeping it, sorry.
 
jujube said:
I will try to dig out the recipe. It's been about 40 years since I last made one, so I can't guarantee I'll find it, but I'll try. It's probably written in one of my old, old cookbooks and I'm not even sure where they are.
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That would be great. Thank you so much.
 
bowmore said:
The best commercial fruitcake is made by Collin St Bakery in Corsicana TX.
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My mother-in-law made a beautiful fruitcake for us every Christmas. It was loaded with pecans. The closest thing to it is the above-mentioned one from the Collin St Bakery.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
10,000 years from now, a young archeologist will brush away centuries of dust from a 2023 fruitcake. Have you ever given, or received the dreaded Xmas fruitcake? Are you a Xmas fruitcake lover?
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I am thinking that you are referring to those store bought bricks. I make my own, and it is nothing like those at all!!!

I ferment the fruit for 6-8 weeks before making the cakes. Some of my cakes are given as gifts, but most of them I sell. For the most part, when I deliver a fruit cake, the buyer tells me to put their name on the list for next year!

Since "fruit cake" has gotten such a bad reputation, I call mine a "Yule Cake"!

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Unfortunately, my customers were from work. Now that I'm retiring, I do not sell them anymore. I do still give away a few each year, to friends who have hinted that they are waiting for one.
 
The most delicious 'fruit cake '' in the world IMO.. is the Scottish steamed pudding.. Clootie dumpling.

It's an extremely versatile dish.. which can be uses as a desert with hot custard or cold cream or as a savoury.. which is how I prefer it.. sliced and fried alongside Bacon and eggs for breakfast.

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It take around 4 hours to make from scratch but here's a quick version for anyone who would like to try it...

 
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