# I love fruitcake! I don't care who knows!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 22, 2009, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175 "2009-12-22T06:27:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/21 "2009-12-22T17:26:05Z")
I have made that alcohol-soaked fruitcake. I used a recipe for light-fruit fruitcake from The Joy of Cooking that called for things like sultanas and apricots instead of the dates and muscat raisins that were in the dark one. It rocked! (actually, the dark one rocks too.)
I also love to make panettone, Italian Christmas bread. The trick is to candy your own citrus peel; under no circumstances should you use that nasty red-and-green gumdrop-esque stuff from the grocery store! This year, I used all tangerine peels. They are unbelievably good! I have used grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, and real citron peels before too; they’re all good.
Incidentally, the candying works a lot better if you add in a box of orange jello.
I love fruitcake too!
---
### Author:  [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/22 "2009-12-22T18:36:31Z")
I made six fruitcakes this year. They’ll all be gone by late March, thin slice by thin slice. Soaked in sherry, with a mix of candied and dried fruit soaked in sherry. And then you soak the whole thing in sherry after it’s baked.
Amazing combination? Fruitcake and very old (say, four to eight year old) Cheddar. Sooooo good.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/23 "2009-12-23T05:07:06Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Although MPSIMS is where we talk about doorstops, Cafe Society is where we talk about food. I’m going to give fruitcake the benefit of the doubt and move this to Cafe Society.
>
> twicks, MPSIMS mod, who doesn’t care for fruitcake per se, but who makes these Christmas cookies with fruitcake fruit that are _so frigging good_
It’s official! Fruitcake is no longer mundane, but fit for cafe society!
I made some biscotti for a high-class Christmas party a few years ago using almond, almond extract, and chopped candied red & green cherries. They were great.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/24 "2009-12-23T05:11:21Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> I was in the grocery store the other day, in the baking aisle, and passed an old lady leaning tiredly her cart. She was talking on a cell phone, but she had an “old lady hat” and an “old lady coat” on, if you can picture what I mean. She just looked like she stepped out of 1946.
>
> Anyway, I noticed her and she made me further notice her by mentioning to the person on the other end of the phone that she was buying ingredients " to make a fruitcake for Doris."
>
> Straight out of a cliche. I love it!
I want to make a fruitcake for Doris, too!
> [@LurkMeister](#):
>
> Another fruitcake fan here. I remember one year I was at a store shortly after Christmas and they had a stack of fruitcakes in their “reduced and discontinued” section. I stocked up and threw a few of them in the freezer for later.
Wow!
I have never bothered to make a fruitcake from scratch because it seemed like making a Twinkie - why bother producing your own product whose main quality is its artificiality? But I think it’s about time I did. I can’t resist the idea of wrapping anything in rum or brandy for weeks.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/25 "2009-12-23T05:16:19Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#):
>
> I don’t like those fruitcakes that you buy in the store but they may be the only “food” left after nuclear armeggedon if the roaches refuse to eat them then at least the earth will finally be rid of them.
>
> I do like the fruitcake my mother made when I was a kid, it was basically a quick bread with fruit but I preferred the quick bread with just dates and nuts so mom drpped the fruitcake in favor of the date-nut loaf.
Well, after Armaggedon, it’ll be us with our lemba fruitcake-doorstops fighting off you and the cockroaches and your lightweight date-nut loaves. And we will prevail!
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/26 "2009-12-23T05:17:38Z")
> [@Lissla\_Lissar](#):
>
> I made six fruitcakes this year. They’ll all be gone by late March, thin slice by thin slice. Soaked in sherry, with a mix of candied and dried fruit soaked in sherry. And then you soak the whole thing in sherry after it’s baked.
> […]
And what do you drink with this?
---
### Author:  [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/27 "2009-12-23T12:48:05Z")
Sherry. 🙂
Usually tea, really.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/28 "2009-12-23T14:58:53Z")
I love fruitcake, and plan to make the recipe from my NYT Cookbook again, since the candied fruit is available in the grocery stores this time of year.
I hate raisins. What’s a good substitute for them, dates?
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### Author:  [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/29 "2009-12-23T15:23:16Z")
When I was in college someone gave me a left over fruitcake to take back to the house. Even college students wouldn’t eat it - and they’ll eat practically anything.
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### Author:  [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/30 "2009-12-23T16:08:32Z")
> [@needscoffee](#):
>
> Well, after Armaggedon, it’ll be us with our lemba fruitcake-doorstops fighting off you and the cockroaches and your lightweight date-nut loaves. And we will prevail!
How did I get teamed up with the cockroaches? I’m not on their side. The point was it will likely be only fruitcakes and cockroaches left at the end of the world and the fruitcakes may prevail.
---
### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/31 "2009-12-24T06:48:30Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#):
>
> I don’t like those fruitcakes that you buy in the store but they may be the only “food” left after nuclear armeggedon if the roaches refuse to eat them then at least the earth will finally be rid of them.
>
> I do like the fruitcake my mother made when I was a kid, it was basically a quick bread with fruit but I preferred the quick bread with just dates and nuts so mom drpped the fruitcake in favor of the date-nut loaf.
> [@needscoffee](#):
>
> Well, after Armaggedon, it’ll be us with our lemba fruitcake-doorstops fighting off you and the cockroaches and your lightweight date-nut loaves. And we will prevail!
> [@Wile\_E](#):
>
> How did I get teamed up with the cockroaches? I’m not on their side. The point was it will likely be only fruitcakes and cockroaches left at the end of the world and the fruitcakes may prevail.
Sorry, Wile E, but my feelings were hurt on behalf of the fruitcakes. My knickers are now untwisted.
---
### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/32 "2009-12-24T07:38:54Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> I love fruitcake, and plan to make the recipe from my NYT Cookbook again, since the candied fruit is available in the grocery stores this time of year.
> I hate raisins. What’s a good substitute for them, dates?
[Craisins](http://www.oceanspray.com/products/craisins.aspx)? [Dried blueberries](http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/dried%20fruit/blueberries.html)?
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### Author:  [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/33 "2009-12-24T13:08:45Z")
> [@needscoffee](#):
>
> I love Christmas fruitcakes. The fruitcakes that substitute soaked raisins and other reconstituted dried fruits for the candied fruits are okay, but everyone knows they’re just wishing they could be the real thing. Give me fruitcake and I’ll be happy.
Egad. You can have all of mine. I had no idea anyone on the planet liked candied fruits, by the way.
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### Author:  [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/34 "2009-12-24T16:30:39Z")
Does anybody here like steamed date cake–with or without nuts?
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/35 "2009-12-24T17:10:55Z")
> [@picunurse](#):
>
> [Craisins](http://www.oceanspray.com/products/craisins.aspx)? [Dried blueberries](http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/dried%20fruit/blueberries.html)?
Look at craisans last niggt, they are quite expensive. I need some 24 oz and they are packed in snack bags. I am replacing half the raisins with dates.
Thanks!
CP
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### Author:  [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/36 "2009-12-24T18:42:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> Look at craisans last niggt, they are quite expensive. I need some 24 oz and they are packed in snack bags. I am replacing half the raisins with dates.
>
> Thanks!
> CP
Try dried currants.
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### Author:  [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/37 "2009-12-24T18:55:04Z")
You can love fruitcake, just don’t _love_ fruitcake.
I like it all right when it’s done properly, which to me means moist, dense, and chewy.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/38 "2009-12-24T22:08:59Z")
It is done.
In three hours four loaves of Nova Scotia Black Fruit cake shall emerge.
I hope.
I turned on the dish washer to hide the evi…er, clean up, waited five minutes and asked Mrs. Plant, “Your hand mixer _is_ dishwasher safe, isn’t it?”
Maybe you had to be there. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/39 "2009-12-26T06:21:45Z")
Wow! I haven’t seen a fruitcake in years. I actually like a good fruitcake and a little eggnog. We’ve just been skimming over the essentials for a few years now. Sorry 'bout that, Santa!
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### Author:  [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-fruitcake-i-dont-care-who-knows/522175/40 "2009-12-26T17:26:54Z")
I can’t wait to get to Grandma’s house (tomorrow!) to get some fruitcake. Mmmm, it’s so yummy.
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