On Thu, 10 Nov 2016 16:56:20 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>I made mine today. I went out yesterday and got the raisins, glazed red
>and green cherries, pineapple, eggs, butter, flour..... I got up this
>morning and set the two pounds of butter out to soften up and mid
>morning I got started. Things seemed to work smoothly.
>
>After I put the first batch into the oven and started preparing the
>second batch I realized that I had forgotten to add the vanilla in the
>first batch. Perhaps it will not be a big a problem. I always douse the
>cakes with a lot of brandy. I am thinking that I can add some vanilla to
>the brandy that I use on the first batch of four cakes. It will be
>wrapped up and put into the freezer for a month and a half. The way I
>see it is that if that 6 weeks is enough time for the brandy to permeate
>the cake, then it should be able to infuse the entire cake(s) with the
>vanilla.
>
>
>At any rate, that is my first foray into Christmas baking. I need to get
>some more butter and work on shortbread, which also needs time to
>develop good taste and texture. One of these days I will pick up some
>mincemeat and make a few dozen tarts.

If you are using brandy, don't freeze the fruitcake. Actually, if the
fruit to batter ratio is like most fruit cake, there is no need to
freeze unless you are planing to store the fruitcake for months and
months. Fruitcake is a method used by people in times gone by to
preserve the harvest. Just keep the fruitcake wrapped tightly in a
dark and cool place. The flavors blend and age better that way.
Janet US