>For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
>PLEASE... DON'T.

##############
You've never had a GOOD one. Try the collins street Bakery brand and you will
change your mind. BG

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 22 Nov 2003 03:36:05 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:
>
> >We had another dog when I
> >was younger and one time during the winter when there was snow on the
ground my
> >mom threw out an old fruitcake for the birds. Well the birds never got
the
> >fruitcake. Our dog ate the whole thing except the red candied cherries.
>
> Why did your mom wait? A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to
> be thrown out.
>
> For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
> It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> waste.
>
> What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> the sink on it's way down there).
>
> It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>
> -sw

A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
share?

>I don't do fruitcake of *any* sort. Can't stand dried fruit.

##############
Well you sound like a closed minded "foodie".Dried or candided fruit is great.
Like I said you've never had a well made fruitcake.
Http://www.collinstreetbakery.com
BG

BillKirch wrote:

> Well you sound like a closed minded "foodie".Dried or candided fruit is great.
> Like I said you've never had a well made fruitcake.
> Http://www.collinstreetbakery.com

Those are the best fruitcakes. I have a recipe for fruitcake cookies
here somewhere. I will look for it.

Becca

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 22 Nov 2003 03:36:05 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:
>
> >We had another dog when I
> >was younger and one time during the winter when there was snow on the
ground my
> >mom threw out an old fruitcake for the birds. Well the birds never got
the
> >fruitcake. Our dog ate the whole thing except the red candied cherries.
>
> Why did your mom wait? A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to
> be thrown out.
>
> For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
> It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> waste.
>
> What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> the sink on it's way down there).
>
> It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>
> -sw

Perhaps you don't like fruitcake but we enjoy a well made fruitcake. My aunt
makes exceptionally good fruitcake and it is always welcomed. You should
advise possible gift givers to your aversion but there is certainly no
reason to issue a universal plea.

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 22 Nov 2003 03:36:05 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:
>
> >We had another dog when I
> >was younger and one time during the winter when there was snow on the
ground my
> >mom threw out an old fruitcake for the birds. Well the birds never got
the
> >fruitcake. Our dog ate the whole thing except the red candied cherries.
>
> Why did your mom wait? A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to
> be thrown out.
>
> For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
> It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> waste.
>
> What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> the sink on it's way down there).
>
> It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>
> -sw

Ouch! I've thrown out more fruitcake than I can remember. My uncle used to
work for a well known bakery and brought us fruitcake around xmas. To this
day, my sisters and I can't stand it; as a joke, my sister and I have been
presenting each other with the same fruitcake at xmas for several years. It
won't 'go' bad, it already is from the gitgo.

Jack Trash

PS There should be a special stamp, a la Easter Seals, stating 'Keep
Fruitcake Outta Xmas"

Jimmy Tango wrote:

> A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
> the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
> share?

My mother has always made her own Christmas cake. I have to admit that it was
an acquired taste for me, but one which I am very glad that I acquired. Having
tried some of the commercial varieties I can understand why people aren't crazy
about them. Our local Italian bakery makes an excellent one, but it isn't
cheap.

Dave Smith > wrote in
:

> Jimmy Tango wrote:
>
>> A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought
>> fruitcakes are the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked
>> fruitcake recipe to share?
>
> My mother has always made her own Christmas cake. I have to admit
> that it was an acquired taste for me, but one which I am very glad
> that I acquired. Having tried some of the commercial varieties I can
> understand why people aren't crazy about them. Our local Italian
> bakery makes an excellent one, but it isn't cheap.

When you a good Christmas cake at home it isn't cheap either.

Jimmy Tango wrote:
> A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
> the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
> share?
>
>


I have a great fruitcake recipe and I've misplaced it. I think I posted it
here a few years ago. I'll google for it, and post it here if I can find
it. Otherwise I'll have to get my Mom to send it to me again.

Best regards,
Bob

"Steve Wertz" > wrote

> A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to be thrown out.

One of the best lines in a long time.

And I like fruitcakes. If I make them and age them and wrap them in
cheesecloth and soak them in bourbon. What's not to like?

Pastorio

Jimmy Tango wrote:
> A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
> the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
> share?
>
>

I found it. (glad I posted it here last year)

I use this recipe, but I also add chopped dried apricots, and raisins, and
chopped brazil nuts. Notice that there is no butter or shortening in this
cake. Sweetened dried pineapple works just as well as glasé pineapple, and
it's cheaper. Baste the cake with your favorite booze (brandy, armanac,
rum, applejack, whiskey, etc.) and wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil.

Best regards,
Bob


JUNE BENEFIELD'S CHERRY NUT CAKE
(I think my Mom copied this recipe from The Houston Chronicle)

1 pound candied cherries, cut in half (half red and half green is nice)
1 pound chopped pecans
1 pound dates,chopped
1/2 pound candied pineapple
Batter:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix chopped fruits and nuts with 1/2 cup flour. Beat eggs. Add sugar,
remaining flour salt and baking powder. beat slightly.combine fruit-nut
mixture with batter. Mix with hands.(There's no other way to handle the
mass says June) Bake in a tube pan lined with two thickness of wax paper or
heavy brown paper that's been liberally greased. Bake 90 minutes at 325
degrees.

>For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
>PLEASE... DON'T.

###############
I think waht a lot of people don't Like is the orange rind taste in it which I
agree is bad..but Collins street does not have that. BG

In article >, Steve Wertz
> wrote:

> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
> It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> waste.
>
> What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> the sink on it's way down there).
>
> It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.

Not a problem. We make them for our family, and for friends we know
will like them. I think storebought ones are inedible. I think most
made with the multi-colored, quivering, gelatinous masses are also
terrible, but a tiny step above storebought. The ones we make do not
resemble either of these, and even people who said they didn't like
fruitcake ate them up and loved them, asked for the recipe, etc. OTOH,
it wouldn't hurt my feelings if someone didn't like it, and if I do give
them as gifts they are small and come with other cookies, breads and
cakes.

Regards,
Ranee (who has a nice apple-pear fruitcake getting soused right now)

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

In article . net>,
"Jimmy Tango" > wrote:

> A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
> the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
> share?

There are a couple on my website:
http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef

I did the apple one this year, but substituted dried pears for the
apricots, because I couldn't find any nice apricots here.

I know Leila has posted a nice one before, and there is a black cake
recipe in Laurie Colwin's Home Food that I always want to try, but never
have.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

"Ranee Mueller" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Steve Wertz
> > wrote:
>
> > PLEASE... DON'T.
> >
> > It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> > it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> > waste.
> >
> > What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> > the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> > "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> > the sink on it's way down there).
> >
> > It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>
> Not a problem. We make them for our family, and for friends we know
> will like them. I think storebought ones are inedible. I think most
> made with the multi-colored, quivering, gelatinous masses are also
> terrible, but a tiny step above storebought. The ones we make do not
> resemble either of these, and even people who said they didn't like
> fruitcake ate them up and loved them, asked for the recipe, etc. OTOH,
> it wouldn't hurt my feelings if someone didn't like it, and if I do give
> them as gifts they are small and come with other cookies, breads and
> cakes.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee (who has a nice apple-pear fruitcake getting soused right now)
>

Well, I dunno. We used to get one fruitcake as a gift and it was really
excellent - best I have ever tasted. I miss it. It sounds like this is the
exception and that leaden, gelatinous fruitcakes are the rule. We are
fortunate to have been spared.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

In article >,
lid says...
>
> For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
>
> -sw
>

I have the opposite problem..I *love* fruitcake and no one will give
them out as presents anymore cause of the bad rep they have!

p.s. I will accept any and all donations of unwanted and unloved
fruitcake..;-)

--
blue

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 22 Nov 2003 03:36:05 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:
>
> >We had another dog when I
> >was younger and one time during the winter when there was snow on the
ground my
> >mom threw out an old fruitcake for the birds. Well the birds never got
the
> >fruitcake. Our dog ate the whole thing except the red candied cherries.
>
> Why did your mom wait? A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to
> be thrown out.
>
> For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
> It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> waste.
>
> What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> the sink on it's way down there).
>
> It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>
> -sw

I have to agree with you on this Steve, unless you know some one *likes*
fruitcake you are better off giving something else.
Yes we should all appreciate any gift , But I know that is not your point.

peace,
Barbara

"Jimmy Tango" > wrote in message link.net>...

> A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
> the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
> share?

Jamaican Dark Rum Christmas Fruitcake

Servings: 1 large or 2 medium cakes

Comments:

The elements of this fruit cake from Jamaica and Trinidad are prepared
on separate days. The preparation has been divided it into three
sections - the early preparation, caramelizing sugar, which can be
done the day before, and the day of cooking. This is a rum cake, a
fruit cake, a Christmas cake. This is euphoria.

"Jackie, a guest to Diana's Desserts website told me that this
delicious cake should be served with Whole Cream, not whipped cream,
and that there is enough batter to make 2 tube cakes in this
recipe".....Diana

Ingredients:

1 pound currants
1 pound raisins
1 pound prunes
1 pound dried figs
1 (16 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained
1/2 pound mixed peel
1/4 pound almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon angostura bitters
2 1/2 cups Dark Jamaica rum

For Caramelizing Sugar:

3/4 pound brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling water

For Final Cooking:

2 teaspoons grated lime peel
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound butter (4 sticks) softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
9 large eggs

Equipment:

Two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans or one 10 inch tube pan.

Instructions:

Step 1: Preparation Day:

Chop currants, raisins, prunes, figs and cherries. Put in large bowl
with mixed peel and almonds. Stir to combine. Sprinkle on bitters and
pour rum over mixture. Soak for a minimum of 24 hours, extending to
one month. Dream about this cake for whatever period of time you have
chosen.

Step 2: Caramelizing Sugar

Put brown sugar in heavy pot. Stir, letting sugar liquefy. Cook over
low heat until dark, stirring constantly, so sugar does not burn. When
almost burnt, remove from heat and stir in hot water gradually. Mix
well, let cool, and pour into container for use in final cooking.

Step 3: Final Cooking

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Bring fruit from its resting place. Stir lime peel, vanilla and
caramelized sugar into fruit. Mix well. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and cloves. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar until mixture is light. Add the eggs,
one at a time until blended.

Stir in dry ingredients gradually. When mixed, stir in fruit mixture.

Pour into tins lined with buttered parchment paper or waxed paper.
Place pan (or pans) in large shallow pan of hot water. Cook in
preheated 250°F oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until a tester inserted in
center of cake comes out clean. Cake should have shrunk from sides of
pan.

Cool for 24 hours in pans. When cool, moisten with rum, remove from
pans, and wrap in aluminum foil or a rum drenched cloth. Cakes may be
stored to ripen. If keeping for any length of time, check occasionally
to add more rum.

Makes: 1 large or 2 medium cakes.

Date: October 30, 2002

© 2003 Diana Baker Woodall

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/

Derek Juhl

>
>>For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>>
>>PLEASE... DON'T.
>
>##############
>You've never had a GOOD one. Try the collins street Bakery brand and you will
>change your mind. BG
>

During the Christmas season my dad used to get Collins Street Bakery fruitcakes
from different salesmen he did business with during the year. They were just
as bad as any other fruitcake. I've come to the conclusion that there's two
types of people, those who love fruitcake and those who hate it.

You misspelled your own link:
<http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef.html>

Bob :-)

Ranee Mueller wrote:
> In article . net>,
> "Jimmy Tango" > wrote:
>
>
>>A good quality, fresh fruitcake is wonderful. Store bought fruitcakes are
>>the pits, however. Does anyone have a good home-baked fruitcake recipe to
>>share?
>
>
> There are a couple on my website:
> http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef
>
> I did the apple one this year, but substituted dried pears for the
> apricots, because I couldn't find any nice apricots here.
>
> I know Leila has posted a nice one before, and there is a black cake
> recipe in Laurie Colwin's Home Food that I always want to try, but never
> have.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee
>

DJS0302 wrote:
>
> >
> >>For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
> >>
> >>PLEASE... DON'T.
> >
> >##############
> >You've never had a GOOD one. Try the collins street Bakery brand and you will
> >change your mind. BG
> >
>
> During the Christmas season my dad used to get Collins Street Bakery fruitcakes
> from different salesmen he did business with during the year. They were just
> as bad as any other fruitcake. I've come to the conclusion that there's two
> types of people, those who love fruitcake and those who hate it.


Slice the fruitcake thin and toast it, then butter it. :-)
Much better that way imho.

K.

--
>^,,^< Cats-haven Hobby Farm >^,,^< >^,,^<

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

Steve Wertz wrote:
>
> On 22 Nov 2003 16:35:07 GMT, (Naomi Darvell) wrote:
>
> >Maybe you should just be happy to have people giving you presents.
>
> My posts mostly implied that I am happy receiving gifts. Just not
> happy about havein them go to waste. And I wouldn't dare re-gift a
> fruit cake for the same reasons.
>
> -sw


You could always varnish it well and give it away as a doorstop... ;-)

K.


--
>^,,^< Cats-haven Hobby Farm >^,,^< >^,,^<

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

<< Maybe you should just be happy to have people giving you presents. >>


____Reply Separator_________Reply Separator_____

Not if it's a fruitcake.

In article > ,
AzuReBlue > wrote:

> In article >,
> lid says...
> >
> > For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
> >
> > PLEASE... DON'T.
> >
> >
> > -sw
> >
>
> I have the opposite problem..I *love* fruitcake and no one will give
> them out as presents anymore cause of the bad rep they have!
>
> p.s. I will accept any and all donations of unwanted and unloved
> fruitcake..;-)

That is how *I* feel. I love fruitcake and haven't gotten one EVER.
Janis

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 18:44:52 -0600, Katra >
> wrote:
>
> >Steve Wertz wrote:
> >>
> >> On 22 Nov 2003 16:35:07 GMT, (Naomi Darvell) wrote:
> >>
> >> >Maybe you should just be happy to have people giving you presents.
> >>
> >> My posts mostly implied that I am happy receiving gifts. Just not
> >> happy about havein them go to waste. And I wouldn't dare re-gift a
> >> fruit cake for the same reasons.
> >>
> >> -sw
> >
> >
> >You could always varnish it well and give it away as a doorstop... ;-)
>
> Probably no need to varnish it.
>
> I've got a 12 year old, unwrapped Twinkie that looks as good as new
> (it's wrapped losely in a paper towel to keep it clean, though.
>
> The cream coming out the holes in the bottom is still soft.
>
> -sw
>

Fruitcake has a half life of 1,500 years. Put it in a time capsule and
future archaeologists can see how disgusting we really were.

Jack Time

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 22 Nov 2003 03:36:05 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:
>
> >We had another dog when I
> >was younger and one time during the winter when there was snow on the
ground my
> >mom threw out an old fruitcake for the birds. Well the birds never got
the
> >fruitcake. Our dog ate the whole thing except the red candied cherries.
>
> Why did your mom wait? A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to
> be thrown out.
>
> For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>
> PLEASE... DON'T.
>
> It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
> it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
> waste.
>
> What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
> the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
> "Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
> the sink on it's way down there).
>
> It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>
> -sw

This will be the first of my 38 Christmases during which there will be no
fruitcake baked by either my mother or me. My mother's fruitcake recipe has
been part of our family holidays all my life. She got the recipe from her
sister before she died, and she has since passed it on to me. It's a dark
cake, with a great deal of fruits and nuts and is definitely different than
the storebought varieties. However, it has gotten very expensive to make-
nearly $50 for ingredients alone- and my spouse and I and my parents are
really the only ones in the family who like it, and we can't eat a whole one
before tiring of it, so we made the decision this year to not make one. It's
kind of sad, really. I'll be making an extra prune cake instead. Now THAT is
a fabulous cake. I'll type in the recipe before long, and post it here.

I understand your aversion, Steve. I have the same aversion to "bought"
fruitcakes and have never found one I liked, other than my mother's. Not
being a fan of candied fruit, most fruitcakes leave me cold.

Miss Jean

Steve Wertz wrote:
>
> On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 18:44:52 -0600, Katra >
> wrote:
>
> >Steve Wertz wrote:
> >>
> >> On 22 Nov 2003 16:35:07 GMT, (Naomi Darvell) wrote:
> >>
> >> >Maybe you should just be happy to have people giving you presents.
> >>
> >> My posts mostly implied that I am happy receiving gifts. Just not
> >> happy about havein them go to waste. And I wouldn't dare re-gift a
> >> fruit cake for the same reasons.
> >>
> >> -sw
> >
> >
> >You could always varnish it well and give it away as a doorstop... ;-)
>
> Probably no need to varnish it.

<LOL!>

>
> I've got a 12 year old, unwrapped Twinkie that looks as good as new
> (it's wrapped losely in a paper towel to keep it clean, though.
>
> The cream coming out the holes in the bottom is still soft.
>
> -sw

Now _that_ is scary!
Makes you wonder if twinkies can actually be classified as "food"?

K.

--
>^,,^< Cats-haven Hobby Farm >^,,^< >^,,^<

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

Miss Jean wrote:
> "Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>On 22 Nov 2003 03:36:05 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:
>>
>>
>>>We had another dog when I
>>>was younger and one time during the winter when there was snow on the
>
> ground my
>
>>>mom threw out an old fruitcake for the birds. Well the birds never got
>
> the
>
>>>fruitcake. Our dog ate the whole thing except the red candied cherries.
>>
>>Why did your mom wait? A fruitcake doesn't have to be old for it to
>>be thrown out.
>>
>>For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>>
>>PLEASE... DON'T.
>>
>>It's so hard to put on a Happy Face when receiving one of those, and
>>it sucks having to throw it away and have a well-meaning gift go to
>>waste.
>>
>>What sucks even more is when the person who gave it to you comes over
>>the next day and sees it in the trash can. Try explaining that!
>>"Uhh, it must have fell of the counter..." (opening the cabinet under
>>the sink on it's way down there).
>>
>>It's a simple request - bake some cookies instead. Please.
>>
>>-sw
>
>
> This will be the first of my 38 Christmases during which there will be no
> fruitcake baked by either my mother or me. My mother's fruitcake recipe has
> been part of our family holidays all my life. She got the recipe from her
> sister before she died, and she has since passed it on to me. It's a dark
> cake, with a great deal of fruits and nuts and is definitely different than
> the storebought varieties. However, it has gotten very expensive to make-
> nearly $50 for ingredients alone- and my spouse and I and my parents are
> really the only ones in the family who like it, and we can't eat a whole one
> before tiring of it, so we made the decision this year to not make one. It's
> kind of sad, really. I'll be making an extra prune cake instead. Now THAT is
> a fabulous cake. I'll type in the recipe before long, and post it here.

I don't know if your recipe is anything like the one I posted earlier
today, but you can reduce the cost quite a bit by using dried fruit instead
of candied fruit -- except for the cherries of course. I can buy a 9 or 10
ounce bag of sweetened dried pineapple pieces at wal-mart for about $1.69,
and it works as well (or better) than expensive glase' pineapple. Dried
apricots cut into tidbits are good, and chopped prunes, dates, and raisins
are also sweet enough to substitute for a lot of the candied fruit.

If there's just a few of you that like it, you could make a half a batch of
fruitcake and cook it in a loaf pan. I think that's what I would do.

Best regards,
Bob

ospam (DJS0302) writes:

>I've come to the conclusion that there's two
>types of people, those who love fruitcake and those who hate it.
>

I agree with that opinion...but...
I love MY fruitcake and some others, but despise the ones that are mostly nuts
or have a dry cake. My recipe is one of those old family hand-me-downs from my
great great grandmother Morganstern's "receipts."
So, among those who like fruitcakes, I only like *good* fruitcakes! LOL!!

Connie
************************************************** ***
My mind is like a steel...um, whatchamacallit.

In article >,
oads (BillKirch) wrote:
>>For all those people considering passing out fruitcakes for Christmas:
>>
>>PLEASE... DON'T.
>
>##############
>You've never had a GOOD one. Try the collins street Bakery brand and you will
>change your mind. BG

Or make Alton's. Good stuff!

--
Mark Shaw contact info at homepage --> http://www.panix.com/~mshaw
================================================== ======================
"How can any culture that has more lawyers
than butchers call itself a civilization?" - Alton Brown

On 22 Nov 2003 22:12:24 GMT, ospam (DJS0302) wrote:


I've come to the conclusion that there's two
>types of people, those who love fruitcake and those who hate it.

For those people that love fruitcake, and even for those that are sure
that they hate it: this one is from my family.
Even diehard fruitcake haters have been known to love this one.

Christine


* Exported from MasterCook *

California Fruit Cake

Recipe By :Grandmother


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups dried sliced apricots -- boil 1 minute in
1 thin syrup:1/2 cup sugar to 1 cup water:
cool and dry
1 cup dried figs -- cut small
2 cups white raisins
1 1/3 cups dark raisins
2/3 cup dried cherries or maraschino cherries -- cut
small. Marinate
dried cherries in Kirsch .
2/3 cup orange peel -- cut small
2/3 cup lemon peel -- cut small
2/3 cup citron -- cut small
2 cups broken nut meats -- preferably pecans
(1 to 2)
24 cubes pineapple -- cut in 1/4's and
drained well
4 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup
5 eggs -- well beaten
1 1/3 cups fruit juices -- use syrup from
apricots, plus pineapple juice, plus
whatever juices you have




Dust fruit mixture with some of the flour and set aside covered until
ready
to add to batter. It is even better if the fruit is left
overnight like this. Mix remaining flour and dry ingredients (minus
the
sugar) and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar well.
Add the corn syrup and beat well, then mix in well beaten eggs. Add
the
flour mixture alternately with the mixed fruit juices,
beating well between each addition. Then add fruits, mixing well past
each
addition. Pour into prepared pans. * Bake at 325
degrees for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 275 degrees. If you have
used 2
tube pans, continue baking for another 2 hours. If
you have used 1 large angel food pan, bake for 5 hours longer. When
done,
cool completely in the pans. Remove cakes from
the pans when cool, but leave paper on the cakes until ready to serve.
Wrap
and store.
* Use two 9"by 3" tube pans or one large angel food cake pan. Line
sides
with greased brown paper: I use brown paper bags.
Fill pans 1/2 to 2/3 full .


Source:
"mother"


I have changed a few things from the original. The original called
for maraschino cherries but since dried cherries have become so widely
available, I have begun using those. I marinate them in Kirsch for
several
hours.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 02:30:15 GMT, "Miss Jean"
> wrote:

>This will be the first of my 38 Christmases during which there will be no
>fruitcake baked by either my mother or me. My mother's fruitcake recipe has
>been part of our family holidays all my life. She got the recipe from her
>sister before she died, and she has since passed it on to me. It's a dark
>cake, with a great deal of fruits and nuts and is definitely different than
>the storebought varieties. However, it has gotten very expensive to make-
>nearly $50 for ingredients alone- and my spouse and I and my parents are
>really the only ones in the family who like it, and we can't eat a whole one
>before tiring of it, so we made the decision this year to not make one. It's
>kind of sad, really.

Oh, it is sad to end a tradition. Could you make a smaller cake and
put it away when everyone gets tired of it?

Truman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory" is a very moving
memory of Christmas with his cousin Sook, which involved elaborate
preparations and saving for fruit cake baking. It was one of their
most important traditions. The story is nostalgic and just lovely. I
think you and your family would enjoy it.

Tara

In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:

> You misspelled your own link:
> <http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef.html>

LOL! It's pregger brain.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

Ranee Mueller wrote:
> In article >, zxcvbob
> > wrote:
>
>
>>You misspelled your own link:
>><http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef.html>
>
>
> LOL! It's pregger brain.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee


You've been wearing those shoes again?

Best regards, :-)
Bob

Jack, you suggested:

> PS There should be a special stamp, a la Easter Seals, stating 'Keep
> Fruitcake Outta Xmas"

I tried to email you a scan of my "ban fruitcake" pin but I guess it didn't
make it through. So anyhow, it's a 3-inch white button with "FRUITCAKE" in
black letters, and with a border and the diagonal "ban" bar in red. I start
wearing it the day after Thanksgiving.

Felice

In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:

> Ranee Mueller wrote:
> > In article >, zxcvbob
> > > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>You misspelled your own link:
> >><http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef.html>
> >
> >
> > LOL! It's pregger brain.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ranee
>
>
> You've been wearing those shoes again?
>
> Best regards, :-)
> Bob
>
>

Uh-oh!! Them red CFM stilettos again!!
--
-Barb
<www.jamlady.eboard.com>
"If you're ever in a jam, here I am."

In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:

> Ranee Mueller wrote:
> > In article >, zxcvbob
> > > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>You misspelled your own link:
> >><http://folks.harbornet.com/raneem/saudichef.html>
> >
> > LOL! It's pregger brain.
>
> You've been wearing those shoes again?
>
> Best regards, :-)
> Bob

Yeah, yeah, yeah...We're really excited about this little one. All
seems to be fine, I'm healthy, _SHE'S_ healthy, no missing parts, no
extra parts, all parts working correctly. I really didn't care if this
were a boy or a girl, but I didn't expect a girl, I had basically come
to the conclusion that Rich couldn't make girls, and here we are with a
little girl on the way. We figure she'll be spoiled rotten and
tough as nails.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> Uh-oh!! Them red CFM stilettos again!!

How many times do I have to tell you, they're blue!

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of
heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man." Acts 17:24

Before one Holiday Season I advertised to give a good home to all and
any unwanted Fruit Cakes in the St Petersburg Times printed in the Tampa
Bay area of 2,000,000 people.

I received not one Fruit Cake, but many phone calls asking to eat my
surplus cakes.

I sent the story to the Collins Street Bakery and Claxtons and their
owners each sent me a big beautiful Fruit Cake.

I was in Fruit Cake heaven for six months.

Rudyard Kipling said "Words are the most powerful drugs used by mankind"
---
I am a Bright.