Enjoying the Fruitcakes of Labor

Mid-December update from my baking corner, with a short love letter to a much maligned midwinter treat: the fruitcake.

The past few years I’ve been refining a fruitcake recipe on my Dad’s request. It was a favorite of his and he had a hard time finding a store bought one that met his flavor preferences. Luckily, this is my ideal challenge. I started with a NYT recipe and then gradually adapted it. I make it very cherry-forward and soaked in ample Whiskey - kind of like a Manhattan in a loaf pan.

As making this has become an annual tradition, I’ve found poeticism in fruitcake’s most suspicious quality: it’s shelf stability. Traditionally, fruitcake was made from the dried remnants of that year’s fruit harvest. It would sit on a shelf for a full year until it was ready to be enjoyed as the next year is about to begin. It’s still good if you eat it right away, but the flavors get so much richer if you give it time. You can enjoy previous year’s fruit, in its present form of fruitcake, while preparing to enjoy this cycle in the next year.

It’s shelf-stable time travel.

This symbolism is hitting harder this year because it’s been a banner year for challenging new experiences. Let the record show that while I don’t recommend switching jobs, buying a home, ending a relationship, and being diagnosed with cancer all in one week, it was survivable. But that was it, it was just survivable. So much labor went into this year, but that labor was spent on survival.

In December 2023, my cancer experience will be a full year behind me. It will not only feel more distant, but I’ll have had an entire year to take what I’ve learned from this fairly traumatic 2022 and channel it into something complex and wonderful.

It’s gonna be a great fruitcake.


Dad’s Nutty Bourbon Fruitcake

Ingredients

  • 6.5 c. assorted dried fruit (lots of cherries, prunes, and apricots)

  • 1 c. bourbon

  • 5.5 c. mixed nuts (walnuts, pe- cans, brazil nuts, and cashews)

  • 1.5 c. AP flour

  • 1 t. baking powder

  • 1 t. salt

  • 6 eggs

  • 1 c. sugar

  • 2 t. vanilla

  • 1⁄2 t. salt

  • 3⁄4 c. bourbon

Instructions

  1. Prepare fruit mixure 1–2 days in advance. Chop fruit evenly and soak in 1 c. bourbon. Cover and store in a cool, dry place. Stir occasionally.

  2. Preheat oven to 300°. Grease and line a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

  3. Chop nuts and combine with fruit mix.

  4. Sift flour, baking powder and salt over nuts and fruits. Toss lightly until well coated.

  5. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy and light. Pour over nut mixture. Stir gently to combine.

  6. Fill prepared loaf pan, pressing cake mixture firmly so it fills the pan evenly.

  7. Bake for 90-105 min or until a toothpick comes out from the center clean (1 hr for a mini loaf pan).

  8. After removing from oven, brush 1⁄4 c. bourbon over cake. Let stand one hour. Invert and cool completely on wire rack. Soak with remaining 1⁄2 c. bourbon.

  9. To store: Wrap in cheesecloth that has been soaked in bourbon. Wrap in heavy duty foil or store in tightly covered container. If cheesecloth dries out, dip in bourbon and rewrap cake.

Serving Suggestion

It is shelf-stable for up to a year, but I like keeping mine in the freezer. I like to serve mine lightly toasted with apricot jam!

A Feast of Ice and Fire

This will not be surprising to anyone who has spent more than a few hours with me, but 3 of my favorite things are: theme parties, ambitious baking endeavors, and Game of Thrones. I got to combine all three of these loves for a special dinner party before the finale of GOT's penultimate season. In addition to the themed food I decorated the table with three dragon fruits and some candlelight (because, Team Dany!) We feasted on the heavy food, enjoyed some 'Dornish' Reds, then played DROGO during the epic episode. The menu was: