The Christmas Cake

Back in early December, when the Christmas spirit fairy upchucked all over my house, I had the compulsion to bake Christmas cake.  I'd been reading about all the Brits and their Christmas cakes for a month and it occurred to me that no matter my aversion since childhood of sawdusty baquette-ish slices of old lady fruitcake, I must bake one from scratch and see if that makes all the difference.  I only had a very few weeks to "feed" my cake on Southern Comfort between baking and cutting but by the time it came under the Christmas slicing knife it was an aromatic wonder to sniff and gobble down.  My scrawny little late fruitcake became the adult hit of the party.  The only problem with it was there when it came time to send dinner leftovers home with everyone, there was none left to share.  My fruitcake motto for next year?  To bake bigger and sooner.  I now understand several references in the blogs I read last fall.  I do need to bake by the first of November to give plenty of time for the weekly feedings.  It will be a temptation to get into next year prior to Christmas.  AND.  Fruitcake is only dry and nasty if you don't do it right! Next year I'd like to do one without the raisins, though, with only cherries, cranberries, and apricots.  That just sounds yummy to me.

For the recipe and the whole story on the Christmas cake, click the link in the first sentence.

I do have to Christmas brag. Guess what my baby got me for Christmas?  Well as I opened them he said "I"m not so sure this is the perfect gift to give a woman..." but the rest of whatever he said was drowned out by my squeals.

By the way, when you get a few minutes, run by a new blog called "Aunt Sally" just started by another southwest Missouri foodie. Her premier posts introduce you to her Christmas "carriage" and her first recipe is for Italian Turkey Kale soup.  Looks delicious!  So does that ride.

Comments

[DaviMack]

Oh, my! You really MUST do something other than just omit the raisins! We've done them with pineapple & mango, to make more of a tropical fruitcake, and have tried all SORTS of dried fruits! No matter what, we don't leave out the orange & lemon zest, diced, as that's just got to be one of the best bits! It's something that we've been doing for several years now, and we're tracking down fellow bloggers in the UK to gift them with fruitcake, as the idea of eating several all by ourselves is just ... well, frightening, as they're SO rich!

I'm so glad that you've gotten into this. Check out Alton Brown's recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_8157_PRINT-RECIPE-FULL-PAGE,00.html & you'll have the basic idea of where we start. We macerate our fruit in vodka overnight, and we bake the cakes around the middle of November, to give them time to absorb a nice, sweet port wine. After they've taken an entire bottle (using a spray bottle), we tuck them into the fridge to age properly, and they're ready for Christmas.

:)

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

Glenna you really have a sweet heart!!
What I joy to be able to change your mind on fruit cake. May have to try one like this.

[Angela]

Yay! I'm so pleased that the cake worked out so well for you :D And now you've started another family tradition....

PS. The knife set looks awesome! What a fantastic gift!

[Glenna]

David--Oh I love the sound of all of those variations. Next year I'll be playing around with it much more too. Maybe even making some as gifts. People were very excited about having a fruitcake that tasted really good!

Tanna--That's part of what I love about blogging. We can experiment and share our results and thoughts with our foodie friends who really understand.

Angela--YOU are the one who really inspired me on this one so THANK YOU!

[sher]

The cake looks fabulous! And I totally understand the squeals of delight over the knives! Great knives are a wonderful thing!

[nashbabe]

The knives are fab, and the person who gave them to you must be as well...what lovely taste! Of COURSE that is a great prezzie for a cook! :-)

[Glenna]

Sher--Totally agree! The knives are so cool. It makes chopping fun!

Nashbabe--Yes, I think the hubby was a little intuitive on that one!

[lacey]

hi there, this was delicious!!! your brother brought some into work!!!!!

[Glenna]

Lacey--Hey, thanks for telling me! There wasn't much left this year but I promise I'll bake more and bigger next year!