Does anyone have a really good fruitcake recipe?

[MamaSheep]

No fruitcake jokes. :P

 

Seriously, I have this memory of eating fruitcake at a great-aunt's house when I was little and thinking it was wonderful. That was also the day I learned to appreciate a really good homemade New York style cheesecake. I don't have great-aunt's recipes, but have stumbled upon a cheesecake recipe that lives up to that memory and am now beginning the search for the elusive heavenly fruitcake.

 

This year I bought a package of "fruitcake mix" candied fruit, because I remember it having that stuff in there. But then I got sick after Thanksgiving and the search has kind of gone by the wayside. I still have this candied fruit sitting around on the counter, though. So does anyone have a good, reliable, old family recipe for fruitcake that people actually like?

 

:bigear:

[Guest iatac]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/free-range-fruitcake-recipe/index.html

[astrid]

I don't have the exact recipe, but a dear friend brought some to our knitting group yesterday and it was FABULOUS! (Thus exclaimed myself, a confirmed fruitcake-hater.)

 

She said the recipe was an old Martha Stewart recipe. Lots of dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, prunes, figs, etc.) all chopped up and soaked in brandy, none of those icky red-and-green things.

 

astrid

[MamaSheep]

Hmmm....as Aunt May was a devout Mormon I am sure there was no brandy involved. Or rum. I wonder if she used something non-alcoholic as a substitute, just left it out, or had a recipe that didn't call for it....?

 

Since I am also a devout Mormon, I wonder what I could try as a substitute....

[Pippen]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2205480&postcount=25

[Impish]

No such thing. :leaving:

[Giraffe]

I have a great fruitcake recipe - my grandmother's, but it includes coffee (definitely not Mormon). PM if you want the recipe (it's a family secret, I really don't want to broadcast it).

[Caitilin]

Hmmm....as Aunt May was a devout Mormon I am sure there was no brandy involved. Or rum. I wonder if she used something non-alcoholic as a substitute, just left it out, or had a recipe that didn't call for it....?

 

Since I am also a devout Mormon, I wonder what I could try as a substitute....

 

Sort of OT, but as a genuine, non-snarky question, why can't you, as a devout Mormon, use alcohol in baking, when it all cooks out, leaving only the flavor behind, ala vanilla extract? I know the reason why you don't consume alcohol, but this aspect has always confused me. Can you 'splain? :001_smile:

[Amira]

Sort of OT, but as a genuine, non-snarky question, why can't you, as a devout Mormon, use alcohol in baking, when it all cooks out, leaving only the flavor behind, ala vanilla extract? I know the reason why you don't consume alcohol, but this aspect has always confused me. Can you 'splain? :001_smile:

 

I hope it's okay to jump in here, but I know plenty of Mormons who do bake and cook with alcohol, and plenty more who don't. Personally, I don't, but that's because I never have alcohol in my house, although I'm not at all opposed to the idea. It's just not an ingredient that I even think of using. There really isn't a Mormon rule about baking with alcohol, just about comsuming it. (And yes, I am aware that it doesn't all cook/bake out, but I'm not willing to give up my extracts to be perfectly alcohol free.)

 

I'm happy to eat food that has been cooked or baked with alcohol. However, I stay clear of the fruitcake because it's just nasty.

[Carol in Cal.]

Contradiction in terms. Just sayin.

[MamaSheep]

Sort of OT, but as a genuine, non-snarky question, why can't you, as a devout Mormon, use alcohol in baking, when it all cooks out, leaving only the flavor behind, ala vanilla extract? I know the reason why you don't consume alcohol, but this aspect has always confused me. Can you 'splain? :001_smile:

 

I'm always up for genuine, non-snarky questions. :) And Amira, thanks for jumping in. I'll just add my 2 cents too.

 

The general gist of how it works, Caitlin, with this and with a lot of other behavioral things in the LDS church, is that the church kind of says here's what the revelation from God says--you decide for yourself how to interpret and apply it in your own life. And some things are more clear than others when it comes to how things are worded in scripture. Using alcohol in cooking is one of those areas where personal choice comes into play rather a lot.

 

The passage of LDS scripture that 'forbids' alcohol consumption has one phrase that says, "...inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father...", and shortly after it's reiterated this way, "...And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies..." And that's really all it says on the subject. There's a snippet about tobacco and "hot drinks", which was defined by Joseph Smith (to whom the revelation was given) as coffee and tea, and there's a whole lot about good things to eat, like wholesome herbs, grains, and meat (sparingly). But it's not laid out in intricate detail, and the issue of using alcoholic liquids in cooking, where most of the alcohol burns off, is not addressed specifically at all.

 

So the church says, here's what the scripture says, you decide how to apply it. In order to qualify for a temple recommend you have to be obeying your understanding of this scripture. They ask if you are living by the Word of Wisdom (the nickname for this revelation, taken from a verse at the beginning), but they don't ask about any of the specifics as to how you choose to live it. They don't ask if you use brandy in cooking, or how much meat you consume and whether that qualifies as 'sparing' usage, or which grains are included in your diet, or any of the other specifics. They only ever ask whether you're doing it or not, yes or no. (Though you can certainly seek advice and input from leaders if you're not sure.) It's generally understood that the scripture is pretty clear about not actually drinking alcoholic beverages, so that would qualify as not living by the Word of Wisdom--same with drinking tea and coffee, and tobacco use. But the specific nitty gritty is very personal, application-wise.

 

This being the case, different Mormons understand and apply this in different ways, and to different degrees of...intensity. I've known some (VERY few) people who won't drink soup out of a mug because they think that makes it a "hot drink", for instance. I think that crosses the line between faith and fanatacism, personally, but it's their choice, and if that's what they think it means, well...that's between them and God. I've known other people (again, not lots) who freely use coffe and tea in their cooking because in that form it's not a "hot drink", it's just a flavoring. I, personally, think it's talking about the substances, not the temperature or presentation, so for me that seems like a bit of a stretch.

 

I aim for what seems to me to be a rational interpretation that honors both the letter and the spirit of the revelation without getting obsessively nutso legalistic about it, but also not letting myself drift too far the other direction to where I'm just making excuses to "get away with it". To me, vanilla extract, mouthwash, and cough syrup don't qualify as "strong drinks" (though I suppose they would if I were guzzling large quantities with the intent of becoming intoxicated...but if that were my goal I would go for the 'real' stuff...lol...). But I know people who choose to avoid those on the grounds that they contain alcohol. At the same time, though, brandy IS a "strong drink". For me, personally, using alcohol in cooking is kind of a fuzzy line and a slippery slope. It's too easy to get caught up in things like this cooking process burns off X percent of the alcohol but that cooking procedure only burns off Y percent, and if you time it like this, it retains more than if you time it like that...so at what percent is it still a "strong drink" and you're just warming it up and exusing yourself by eating it with a spoon rather than 'drinking it', and at what percent does it become just a flavoring? And that, to me, again crosses that line of legalistic fanatacism that I want to avoid. So I choose to not get caught up in that nonsense by just not using it in my cooking.

 

(I have, however, eaten dishes a few times without a twinge of guilt, when it was obvious that the thing had been prepared in such a way that the alcohol had been cooked off to a point I was happy with. I mostly try to avoid that, though, largely because almost every time I've done it somebody was present who knew I don't drink due to religious reasons, and it has led to an intensive third degree and questioning of my personal integrity, which I didn't find enjoyable at all. And just to be clear, none of the people who did this were members of my faith, these were non-church aquaintances. And I never noticed a particularly dramatic difference in flavor that I couldn't live without. Is it the same identical flavor without? No. Does that mean it's not a good flavor? Also no.)

 

So the short answer to your question, "why can't you, as a devout Mormon, use alcohol in baking, when it all cooks out," is that I "can't" because I choose not to due to the way I, personally, choose to interpret and apply a passage of scripture I believe to be a commandment from God. It's a fairly moderate, typical, wide-spread interpretation amongst people of my faith, but it does come down to my own personal choice. And I don't get judgy all over people who draw their line in a slightly different place and use alcohol in cookery.

 

I know some people from other faiths have expressed to me their opinion that they think any dietary restrictions are ungodly and fanatical. For me, though, the Word of Wisdom helps me keep in mind that my body is a temple, and helps to make even making and eating dinner in some ways an act of worship. I like it.

 

I hope that makes sense and answers your question. But as I say, I'm always up for sincere questions, free of snark. Thanks for asking so nicely. :)

Edited December 24, 2010 by MamaSheep

[MamaSheep]

http://www.theswap.com/cookbook1/sefer.cgi?display:1008311468-30723.txt

 

I make about 50 of these a year.

 

 

Now I'm just confused.

 

Mix spices and flour. Beat eggs ‘til foamy, add sugar, honey, juice and butter. Add flour if you have room in the beater bowl. If not, put the rest of the flour in with the fruit. I often throw a jar of last year’s jam to use it up, but don’t put in blackberry---makes it a yucky color! Mix the wet ingredients in with all the fruit. Grease pans and line with waxed paper. Makes 10 cakes. Cook the smaller ones for 1 ½ hours, the larger for 2 hours at 300 degrees. Peel the cakes while they are hot. Wrap them in heavy flannel soaked in brandy. Slop on more brandy as you wrap them up in foil. Make by Thanksgiving to age ‘til Christmas. If you have any left over, they will keep a year, periodically slop with more brandy.

 

 

What kind of pan? Is this a loaf pan? How big are "larger" ones, and how big are "smaller" ones? How big of a jar of jam?

 

But I do wonder if Aunt May's was something like this, just made fresh instead of "aged", and not soaked in brandy. Could be a good starting point....

 

Thanks. :)

 

ETA: I am wracking my brain to remember what sort of pan Aunt May's was cooked in. I was only about 7 or 8 at the time, I think. I think it was maybe in a bundt pan. Do you think that would even work? Maybe I'm remembering wrong. I remember thinking how beautiful it was with all the fruit bits like little gems embedded, and then tasting it and thinking that was even more amazing than how it looked. But maybe it's just a childhood dream....

Edited December 24, 2010 by MamaSheep

[Caitilin]

Now I'm just confused.

 

 

 

What kind of pan? Is this a loaf pan? How big are "larger" ones, and how big are "smaller" ones? How big of a jar of jam?

 

But I do wonder if Aunt May's was something like this, just made fresh instead of "aged", and not soaked in brandy. Could be a good starting point....

 

Thanks. :)

 

ETA: I am wracking my brain to remember what sort of pan Aunt May's was cooked in. I was only about 7 or 8 at the time, I think. I think it was maybe in a bundt pan. Do you think that would even work? Maybe I'm remembering wrong. I remember thinking how beautiful it was with all the fruit bits like little gems embedded, and then tasting it and thinking that was even more amazing than how it looked. But maybe it's just a childhood dream....

 

This part I think I can answer--my grandma's fruitcake recipe was always baked in a bundt/angelfood pan, so I am sure it would work.. :)

 

Thanks for the thoughtful answer re. alcohol in cookery, too. I am always interested in how others do things, so I appreciate the explanation. My Mormon friend comes over and has herbal tea with me while I drink my black tea, so I see how the individual interpretation of "hot drink" could vary considerably. :)

[MamaSheep]

This part I think I can answer--my grandma's fruitcake recipe was always baked in a bundt/angelfood pan, so I am sure it would work.. :)

 

Angelfood pan....yeaaaaahhhhh...I think that might have been what it was. Yeaaaahhhh......

 

You're brilliant!

 

Thanks for the thoughtful answer re. alcohol in cookery, too. I am always interested in how others do things, so I appreciate the explanation. My Mormon friend comes over and has herbal tea with me while I drink my black tea, so I see how the individual interpretation of "hot drink" could vary considerably. :)

 

Yes...that's another one of those personal interpretation things. Is herbal tea a "hot drink" or a proper use of a "wholesome herb"? Different people see it different ways. And that's ok. Some people do get snarky about it (people are people, regardless of religious affiliation) but most of us are pretty live-and-let-live about it all.

[stripe]

Sort of OT, but as a genuine, non-snarky question, why can't you, as a devout Mormon, use alcohol in baking, when it all cooks out, leaving only the flavor behind, ala vanilla extract? I know the reason why you don't consume alcohol, but this aspect has always confused me. Can you 'splain? :001_smile:

Actually, it does NOT all cook out. I have seen tests in multiple cooking venues (such as this, with wine) where they've tested the alcohol level after various cooking activities (some, such as lighting it on fire, burn off more than others). But more to the point, then you'd be buying the alcohol in the first place and keeping it in the house, which some may not be comfortable with, even if it did all cook off.

 

However, the alcohol in fruitcake is used for flavoring and as a preservative. Usually fruitcakes are "cured" in it for a month or so before being eaten. So it would be too late to start that sort of fruitcake now anyway.

[MamaSheep]

Actually, it does NOT all cook out. I have seen tests in multiple cooking venues (such as this, with wine) where they've tested the alcohol level after various cooking activities (some, such as lighting it on fire, burn off more than others). But more to the point, then you'd be buying the alcohol in the first place and keeping it in the house, which some may not be comfortable with, even if it did all cook off.

 

See, I've read some similar studies before, and that's what I was trying to get at earlier when I was saying that different cooking techniques burn off more than others, and how do you decide at which percentage to draw the line, and therefore how much to put in and how to cook it, and when it has cooked long enough, and on and on. And if you just put in a teaspoonful into something that's not going to cook, just for flavoring, does that "count"?

 

And by just not using it I don't even have to worry about all that at all.

 

However, the alcohol in fruitcake is used for flavoring and as a preservative. Usually fruitcakes are "cured" in it for a month or so before being eaten. So it would be too late to start that sort of fruitcake now anyway.

 

Yeah, but I'm sure the one I had that I liked wasn't either, so that's ok. :)

[stripe]

And by just not using it I don't even have to worry about all that at all.

I feel the same way.

Yeah, but I'm sure the one I had that I liked wasn't either, so that's ok. :)

I think a good selection of fruit and nuts would make it taste better, but I am eager to hear what you come up with. I used to eat my grandma's FROZEN and sliced thin, but I would rather not anymore.

[AK_Mom4]

My grandmother had an AMAZING fruit cake recipe:

 

1 box spice cake mix

2 small packages gummy bears.

 

Mix it up and bake as directed on the box. It LOOKS like a fruit cake, but tastes much better!