Famous Holiday Fruitcakes
by Cajun Clark
Ah yes, fruitcake. Seems that either people love it or they
hate it, that there's very little room in between. Now that's
a bummer, because da ol' mon has gone to great lengths to round
up the ingredients for this Fortnight. That being said, read
on my friend, read on. You may find something you like; and
besides, there's a very special announcement at the end of this
discourse.
Several years ago there was a television commercial that said
there was only "one" fruitcake and it got sent from household
to household. This was NOT true, 'cause Caj knows that since
his Mother stopped making the Famous Wesson Fruitcake a couple
of replacements were found resulting in four fruitcakes being
mailed every year.
One of those is from Collin Street Bakery, Corsicana, Texas,
http://www.collinstreetbakery.com
They've been making their
Classic Christmas Cake since 1896; must have something going
for it, which it does.
The other is from The Smithfield Collection,
http://www.smithfieldcollection.com You'll need to do a product
search for Bakermaid Creole Holiday Fruit Cake. Some of these
webmasters don't make it easy, but in this case it's worth a
little effort. Because not only does this jewel have a unique
taste, it's sliced, individually wrapped, ready to serve.
Finally, for those of you who will never let a fruitcake across
the threshold, you can do like one of Caj's friend's does and
make your own special holiday cake. She makes a Classic Tomato
Soup Cake. Da ol' mon thinks you'll enjoy the other recipes
and story behind the story, take a look.
http://www.cajunclarks.com/tomato_soup_cake.htm
Now for another Famous Holiday Fruit Cake:
Famous Wesson Fruitcake
This recipe has been around, or so it seems, since the beginning
of time. For many, it's a family standard during the holidays,
an old-time family trend setter.
HEAT oven to 275°F.
LINE pan with brown paper and lightly grease.
COMBINE sugar and eggs, BEAT till smooth. Then ADD Wesson oil
and BEAT 2 minutes. COMBINE 1 cup flour with fruits and nuts.
SIFT remaining flour with baking powder, salt and spices. STIR
into Wesson mixture alternately with orange juice. POUR batter
over fruit mixture and blend. TURN into pan. PLACE pan of water
on lower rack of oven and BAKE 2 1/2 to 3 hours till done. COOL
on wire racks. REMOVE from pan and PEEL paper off. WRAP in
cloth dampened in whiskey or brandy, then in foil. BEFORE
serving glaze and decorate.
GLAZE:
BOIL 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon corn syrup, 2
tablespoons water. SIMMER 2 minutes. BRUSH over cake.
Note: Since many of these cakes are made weeks prior to serving,
some Chief Cooks open up the aluminum foil every few days,
sprinkle or brush whiskey or brandy (depending on what was
used initially) on the cloth wrapping, then reseal. This is
a personal preference thing, including the use of whiskey or
brandy in the first place. If memory serves, dry sauterne was
popular in some families.--Caj.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Da ol' mon is writing another cookbook:
Cajun Clark's Friends' Holiday Cookbook. This one-of-a-kinder
will feature holiday customs from around the world and the
recipes associated with them; all from Caj's valued Fortnight
Subscribers. For more information check out
http://www.cajunclarkssweetandsassy.com/friends.htm
Cajun Clark's Cookbooks make great gifts that keep on giving,
and when you give the print version you'll never be forgotten.
Take a look, there's something for everyone:
http://www.cajunclarks.com/busyolmon.htm