Menu Recipes for December: In Defense of Fruitcake

Fruitcake is a much-maligned dessert. It is the target of many rude holiday jokes and the object of heartless re-gifting. Our cousin Richard has been known to make remarks about spare tires and doorstops while eyeing the large round Christmas fruitcake on its pedestal. However, we have noted that he is the first to saw his way through the huge dense pastry, slather it with hard sauce and dig in.

Modern food purists who disparage the candied fruits and long life of fruitcake fail to appreciate the history of this ancient dessert. Fruitcakes were developed in many European countries hundreds of years ago to preserve summer fruits and nuts so that they could still be enjoyed during the winter holidays when the outside world is dark and covered with snow. Before the advent of refrigeration, summer fruits were preserved by soaking them in brandy, honey or sugar, and candied fruits, especially cherries and citrus peels, became a staple of winter festivities. If you find the high fructose corn syrup and food coloring in commercially prepared candied fruit cloying, we are happy to provide easy recipes for making your own candied fruits and peels.

The cakes themselves can be made months before the holidays, soaked in brandy or sweetened fruit juice and aged in a metal cake box in a cool dark place. Far from making the fruitcakes unpalatable, this process allows the ingredients to meld and mellow, enhancing both the flavor and texture of a classic fruitcake. In England, when it is time to serve the cake, it is traditional to cover the top of the cake with thinly rolled out marzipan and decorate it with Royal Icing and additional candied fruits, silver sprinkles or colored sugar. A marzipan topped Christmas fruitcake is the pinnacle of the joyful holiday feast.

For those of you who are willing to give fruitcake a chance, we offer three additional versions, from very traditional to contemporary and from simple to complex. Any one of these cakes will add to the glory of the Christmas celebration.

In Defense of Fruitcake Menu Recipes (8 Recipes Included)

Kathleen’s Fruitcake without Candied Fruit

Country Christmas Cake with Marzipan and Royal Icing

Royal Icing

Candied Ginger

Candied Cherries
Candied Citrus Peel
Ambrosia
Easy Orange Pound Cake with Candied Cranberries
Candied Cranberries