Quality Fruitcake

It sounds like a lovely, fruit-laden quick-bread recipe? Many folks don't/won't/can't/ or shouldn't imbibe for whatever reason, from age to sensitivity to allergy. Are you up for sharing your recipe, Jay? We have teetotalers on our list, to whom I'd love to gift a booze-free alternative. If I can make it safe for my diabetic and gf friends, even better! I (obviously) don't see anything wrong with the traditional stuff, but a similar option for folks who just can't would be wonderful.

Anne Miller wrote:Thanks for the reminder, with all that has been going on I had forgotten to order fruit cake.

I just bought three fruitcakes and I always get one for Christmas.

Where are you ordering from?  I'd love to get one this year if they aren't too costly!

Anne Miller wrote: it comes from a Texas business that is famous for their fruit cakes called Collin Street Bakery since 1899? I think?

I have a place that I also think has great fruit cakes called Claxton Bros. and since they are sold at Sam's Club

The Claxton Bros's from Sam's club are 22 cents an ounce.  And my membership gives me free shipping.  These are my favorite fruit cakes.

https://collinstreet.com/buy-fruitcake-online


https://www.claxtonfruitcake.com/bakery-catalog/fruitcake

Carla Burke wrote:It sounds like a lovely, fruit-laden quick-bread recipe? Many folks don't/won't/can't/ or shouldn't imbibe for whatever reason, from age to sensitivity to allergy. Are you up for sharing your recipe, Jay? We have teetotalers on our list, to whom I'd love to gift a booze-free alternative. If I can make it safe for my diabetic and gf friends, even better! I (obviously) don't see anything wrong with the traditional stuff, but a similar option for folks who just can't would be wonderful.

The recipe is posted in one of the "Cooking with Pumpkin" threads here:

https://permies.com/t/168143/Cooking-Fall-Decor-pumpkins-squash#1382836

I have never tried it with a gluten free flour, but if anyone could do it, you would be the one!

There's sugar added as well as fructose in the dried fruit, so you'd have to decide if there's enough to be a problem for a diabetic. I go hypoglycemic and this cake works for me, but I'm very aware that there are different levels of diabetes. It contains some white flour, which can also be an issue for diabetics, but it wouldn't surprise me if you used coconut flour that it would help. I find with my hypo issues, that subbing in wheat germ for part of one of the cups of flour seems to help. I would use all whole wheat if I wasn't often giving  it away and too many of my friends just don't cope with whole wheat flour... sigh... They complain its "breakfast" instead of "desert"!

Jay Angler wrote: The recipe is posted in one of the "Cooking with Pumpkin" threads here:

https://permies.com/t/168143/Cooking-Fall-Decor-pumpkins-squash#1382836

I have never tried it with a gluten free flour, but if anyone could do it, you would be the one!

There's sugar added as well as fructose in the dried fruit, so you'd have to decide if there's enough to be a problem for a diabetic. I go hypoglycemic and this cake works for me, but I'm very aware that there are different levels of diabetes. It contains some white flour, which can also be an issue for diabetics, but it wouldn't surprise me if you used coconut flour that it would help. I find with my hypo issues, that subbing in wheat germ for part of one of the cups of flour seems to help. I would use all whole wheat if I wasn't often giving  it away and too many of my friends just don't cope with whole wheat flour... sigh... They complain its "breakfast" instead of "desert"!

Thank you! Yup, I have both diabetic/hyperglycemic  and hypoglycemic folks (like you and me!) on my list, as well as folks who can't have dairy, eggs, nuts, etc. I'm getting pretty good at working around all of that. Blanched, finely ground almond flour is my go-to, but doesn't work for those with issues with nuts. There's another flour - lupin - that is supposed to be a great substitute, but I've not tried that one, yet. Stevia or monkfruit with inulin (a fiber usually from chickory, to bulk it up and make it more easily measured/used) is a frequent sub-in player in my baking. Flax seeds, ground and mixed with a tablespoon or two of water makes a good egg substitute. The cool thing is that if I just set it out, and don't make any announcement, only whispering the ingredients to those who would be negatively or positively, other will eat my stuff, and usually beg for my recipes. Makes me feel good, and I always share the recipes, when asked.

Neat thread!
I just recently found a persimmon near me, and the flesh was so "spiced" I immediately thought of it when reading this thread.

I wonder if there is a version of fruitcake that features acorn meal, persimmons and paw paw. Might need some stouter fruit in there.

Jay Angler wrote:Here I thought it was just me, but I notice that all you people aren't using those totally horrid (in my opinion) commercial maraschino cherries. I read your recipes and you're using home dried fruit.

I really hate those maraschino cherries! Apart from that, this time I did a more traditional recipe. Dried figs and candied citrus peel were available a hundred years ago, but if you go even further back the traditional Früchtebrot/Hutzelbrot/Kletzenbrot contained only ingredients that were available in Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria and South Tyrol: dried pears and prunes, walnuts or hazelnuts (almonds were an expensive import) and rye sourdough, no sugar or alcohol added. Which made this not just a Christmas treat but also rather a substantial calorie-dense food when working outside timbering etc.

Hubby and I are both fruit cake fans and don't wait until Christmas to bake them, we have one every few months.

I soak the fruit in brandy at least overnight if not longer until the raisins and sultanas are fully plump and usually include red and green glace cherries because they look pretty. Once they've been soaked in brandy, they don't taste as sweet. The most recent fruit cake that I baked had cranberries instead of the glace cherries though.

I bake the lighter fruit cake aka Dundee cake that has ground almonds and takes less time to bake than the traditional christmas cake that's usually a dark fruit cake.

In most of my baking, I usually reduce the sugar by up to a third and that's the case with fruitcakes too. The dark fruit cake that I make uses brown sugar and a jar of homemade seville orange marmalade - the original recipe called for a combination of stewed apples and marmalade but since I had the latter, subbed the apple for marmalade.

There is a favourite NZ recipe that uses crushed pineapple but I tend to stick to the two recipes that I make most often - Jane Grigson's Christmas cake and Mrs Beeton's Dundee cake with tweaks.

Recycled 375g tuna tins lined on the outside with thick newspaper are the perfect size for baking small fruit cakes to give away. Haven't made any fruit cakes as gifts for a while but they look really pretty wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with a bow.

Atlantic cedar cones open out to look like roses and a drop of hot glue in the middle stops them from falling apart. They can then be sprayed with gold or silver and glued onto a wide ribbon and used instead of a bow to tie around the cellophane.

When I take the cakes out of the oven, I pour a few tablespoons of brandy over the top whilst it's still hot and they only get left to cool before we cut into them straight away!

I was delighted when I encountered seasonal dried pears in my local supermarket. Apparently they cater for the older generations as well!
I got the idea to make a German "fruit bread" this year again. I also used dried figs, dates, apricots (not totally traditional), prunes and hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts.
The recipe I used made a huge batch so I baked several loaves and gave some to the neighbours and I also sent half a loaf each to my aunts.
(edited to add the ingredients I had missed)

I also found a graphic today with an overview of the different Italian fruitcakes. Those from South Tyrol come closest to the Bavarian which is no wonder as culture and climate are similar.

Part of why I want to make a solar dehydrator is so I can make good fruitcake.

I've got a few good recipes that came from friends and they are very good but the present prices for the ingredients makes me shudder. I also am not happy with the flavour you get from lots of the commercial products.

A few years back I did do a big batch and used our  montmorency cherries and citrus peel that I had candied at home. Both are shockingly better tasting than anything I can buy and made a huge difference. I hadn't much cared for it before trying that version.
The hope going forward is to be able to do our own dried apples, pears, currants, cherries, haskap and hazelnuts. If I can get my dream greenhouse up and running, I will try for my own citrus too.

In the meantime, making candied citrus peel is very easy and is a great use of the garbage parts of the fruits. During the cheap season for them, I now try and make several big batches every year and just keep a big bag of it the fridge. It improves all sorts of baked goods.

My super-easy method:
Wash and scrub a big bunch of citrus. ( clementines, manderines, tangerines and lemons are preferred) I usually do at least 2-5 pounds at a time.

Use a vegetable peeler to take off just the zest and leave the white pith. I dont cut or chop it at this time.
( refrigerate the naked fruit for fast and easy eating whenever you want)

Generously cover the peels in water and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-5 mins, just until slightly softened. Skim any wax off the top of the water. Then drain and I like to give them a good rinse in hot water.

Put the peels in a clean pot and put in at least as much sugar. Then add enough water to just cover. Heat and bring it to a simmer. I want it easy so I cheat by adding little water and enough sugar that it all juuuussst dissolves when heated.
Then it simmers until the sugar is starting to recrystalize.  Usually less than 2 hours. Then I just dump it all out onto a parchment paper covered pan. Spread it around and let dry. I may cover it with a clean linen towel if it needs to rest overnight.

The end result is a sheet of candied peel and intensely flavoured sugar. I break it into chunks and store it in a bag or tub in the fridge but it can be frozen. Whenever it's needed, I just chop up as much as I need.

Generally, I use the mix and just sub it for sugar in muffins, cakes and cookies. The peel alone can be used where that is called for. You can also eat the peel straight or give it some chocolate coating for another treat.

James Sullivan wrote: at some point they became these inedible bricks. I would eat the toughest fruit cake dunking it in tea or milk.

I only have fruit cake available in November and December.

I make the fruitcake last until November and December of the next year.

I never have inedible bricks.

First, I keep them stored in the refrigerator.  Sealed tightly in a metal can, the ones from Collin Street Bakery.

If I were to find one like that I would pour some drinkable alcohol, usually vodka, sparingly over it seal tightly in the can, and wait a few days for it to soften.