I was at the grocery store today, and I noticed that they have the holiday fruitcake out already. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved the taste of fruitcake. It is one of my favorite foods of the holiday season. My mom used to get one each year, and back then, it would come in one of the beautiful decorated round tins like some cookies come in. Now, I mostly see it in little tiny mini-loaves that are maybe 2 inches wide and 4 inches long, and it probably costs more than the ones that my mom used to get for us every year. I remember, back when I was a kid, that it took me a little while to get used to the taste of the candied fruit that is in fruit cakes; but once I did, then I have just loved having it, and now I especiallyenjoy a small slice in the morning with my coffee. Now, it costs so much for even the small ones that they are pretty much too expensive to even buy one. What I usually do is wait until after the holiday season, and then they are putting them on clearance sale with the other holiday specialties. One year, I found them marked down really cheap and got several of them, because they last really well. Who else enjoys fruit cake ?
I don't hate it, Yvonne. My mother made a Hungarian one that was pretty good. The translation would be Bishop's Bread. It wasn't brown and had lots of walnuts and not so much dried fruit as I recall. Maybe some raisins, too. It depends on the fruitcake now if I like it or not, some are okay, some not so good. It's not something I would make or buy but will try if someone has it. It kind of looked like the above photo but my mom always put more walnuts in it.
Our Son in Law makes his own, every year, and ours is huge and delicious. I believe he adds brandy. We used to get the ones in the store, around 2 inch x 2 inch x 10 inch. It used to be just enough. Here is a link: Fruitcake 101: A Concise Cultural History of This Loved and Loathed Loaf EDIT: He used brandy....not bourbon!
I love rum in my fruitcake! Every Christmas we'd get a homemade rum fruitcake's from Mom's friend and I fell in love with it! Now I can only remember it for it's too much sugar. Alas age and sugar don't mix well.
Our English Christmas fruitcake is usually very dark and as children we joined in the making of it during the weeks before the holiday, each giving it a stir. It was usually covered with marzipan and white icing, I used to like it, but find it a bit heavy on the stomach to eat much of these days. Typical ingredients 6 oz dried prunes, chopped 6 oz dates, chopped 8 oz dark raisins 6 oz golden raisins 6 oz currents ¾ cup butter 1 cup dark brown sugar ¾ cup molasses ½ cup coffee liqueur (or ½ cup strong black coffee) Zest and juice of 2 oranges 8 oz glace cherries 8 oz candied citrus peel 8 oz toasted pecans, roughly chopped 2 tsp allspice 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp powdered ginger 1 tsp cloves 2 tsp nutmeg 3 tbsp cocoa 3 eggs 1⅓ cups all purpose flour ½ cup ground hazelnuts or almonds ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda
That reminded me that my mom's also had dates in it. She just didn't use any of those artificially colored dried fruits. I like dried fruit but don't like those bright red and green fake colored ones.
I love the stuff. Most of my family laugh at me for asking for fruitcake, but I love it and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
EDIT: Brandy...that's what my Son in Law uses in his fruitcakes! ....not bourbon. Thanks, Terry for the mention of brandy. ...I knew it started with a "B"!
Yvonne I would probably like your fruitcake because it's so light on the heavy fruit ...but as you can see by Terry's post our traditional fruitcakes are absolutely loaded with very heavy fruit , sugar, honey..GLACE cherries ( puke)...and it's sooo rich and sickly...I've always hated it...
That is the kind I don't like either, Holly. This post only proves that not all fruitcakes are created equal.