December 27th is National Fruitcake Day #NationalFruitcakeDay another #Holiday that makes me miss my mom and also my Uncle Chuck. My mom is the only person I know who loved Fruitcake which my Uncle Chuck would make my mom during Christmas.
As a child my #Birthday takes place in November and any money I would receive for my Birthday I would take to North East Mall and purchase #Christmas Gifts for my family. More times than not I would purchase Fruitcake for my mom and a box of Chocolate Mints or Chocolate Covered Cherries for my dad. Even as I grew up I always made sure my mom had #Fruitcake for Christmas. Now there is no, one to purchase a Fruitcake for. Unless you like them.
National Fruitcake Day is December 27th, a day to celebrate every eccentric person you know. Wait! That’s not right. It’s a day for lovers of Fruitcake to rejoice in the delights of the world’s most misunderstood Fruit.
A Fruitcake is a boozy, chewy, rich amalgam of dried Fruit, Nuts, and Sugar, saturated with your favorite Alcohol, most commonly Brandy or Bourbon. That produces a dense, sweet, and textured treat generally served around the holidays.
Did you know Fruitcakes have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs? So you know that the tradition is steeped in history as well as Booze. Remember Fruitcake can be made with or without Alcohol. The choice us yours when baking a Fruitcake.
National Fruitcake Day Activities
- Since the ingredients of Fruitcake vary widely, have a party where each guest makes his or her own version of Fruitcake! You can even hold a contest for the best tasting or unique Fruitcake and the winner earns everlasting glory.
- Fruitcakes are a traditional gift, and mail-order fruitcakes have been around since the early 1900s. So take a note from your ancestors and order a Fruitcake available through the mail to gift to your friends.
- You can keep the tradition alive by creating your own Fruitcake. If you don’t have a family recipe, adapt a recipe from a popular cookbook. All the ingredients can be purchased, but why not make it a family tradition to dry your own Fruit? Not only will your Fruitcake taste better, but it will be healthier and better for you. Toast Nuts, use Honey instead of Sugar, and use top-shelf Booze to make a real Fruitcake lover’s Fruitcake.
Why People Love National Fruitcake Day
Fruitcake is consumed in different forms around the world, and we mean all over. Fruitcake is served in America, the Bahamas, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany and Ireland, among other places.
Fruitcakes are traditionally associated with the arrival of Winter, when heavier desserts (and food in general) are served.
Fruitcakes popularity grew before refrigeration allowed an easy way to keep food fresh, so other means of preservation had to be devised. Pouring Alcohol over the Foods until no more could be absorbed was one way to preserve them for months, because it was believed they got better with age.
An early recipe for Fruitcake from Rome lists Pomegranate Seeds, Pine Nuts, and Raisins as Fruitcake’s main ingredients, but any extra Fruit you have lying around is fair game for this all-encompassing dessert.
Even though Christmas is over it doesn’t mean you can’t make a #Fruitcake for yourself and those you love.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups whole red candied cherries
1-1/2 cups whole green candied cherries
3 cups diced candied pineapple
10 ounces golden raisins
1 pound walnut halves
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Shop Recipe
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°.
- Combine fruits and walnuts.
- In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
- Pour over fruit mixture; stir to coat.
Transfer to a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. - Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 2 hours.
- Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Wrap tightly and store in a cool place.
- Bring to room temperature before serving; slice with a serrated knife.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
