Wow! Crash, who has sworn that he hates fruitcake, tasted a slice of
one of the cupcakes I made, and actually liked it! I always use
pecans (personal preference), but he said it needed walnuts. I'll cut
back on the mixed fruit and use more whole candied cherries for the
next batch. And I'll use both red and green.

Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
liquors.

Is there anything about fruitcake that makes it require booze? I'd
like to make this for him again, but I don't want the cake to be
super-dry for lack of hootch.

My thoughts: Pre-soak the fruits with orange juice? Add more of
something to the batter recipe for moisture? Here is the recipe. Pics
are available at link in my sig. I need to use *this* recipe, but am
wondering if it needs alterations.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Fruitcake

Recipe By amsel
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : cakes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
----BATTER----
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons sherry
2 1/2 cups flour
----FRUIT MIXTURE----
1/2 pound candied cherries
1 pound golden raisins
1/2 pound seedless raisins
1/2 pound currants
1/2 pound chopped pecans
1 pound mixed fruitcake fruit
flour -- to coat fruit

In a large bowl, combine batter ingredients in the order given,
beating in one egg at a time. In a huge bowl, combine fruits and nuts.
Add enough flour to the fruit mixture to coat lightly. Pour batter
over fruit mixture; combine well.

Line baking pans with at least two layers of heavy brown paper, such
as postal wrapping paper, or grocery bags. (Instructions at end of
post, if needed) Spoon batter into pans, filling no more than 2/3
full.. Place shallow pan of water in bottom of 300 degree oven and
bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out
clean (1-1/2 hours for 1 pound cake, 2-1/2 to 3 hours for larger
cakes) Remove from oven and pour rum over cakes while still hot. When
cooled just enough to handle, remove paper from cakes and cool on a
wire rack.

When thoroughly cooled, saturate with more rum (optional). Decorate
tops with candied fruits, attached to cake with corn syrup.
Examples:
*One-half red cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of green
pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
*One-half green cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of
yellow pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
*Pecan half in center, with pineapple on each end (rectangular cakes)
*One-half cherry with thin wedge-shaped slices of pineapple forming a
starburst around cherry center (round cakes)

Wrap neatly with plastic wrap, using tape to secure wrap at the bottom
of each loaf.

Baking containers:
*Any size loaf pan. I like to make tiny, individual-sized cakes for
gift-giving.
*Short coffee or sweet potato (yam) cans.

Lining baking pans:
*Cut paper to size. Be sure to allow enough to cover bottom of pan,
and up the sides.
*Mark the paper (on the side that will be away from the cake) to the
size and shape of the pan bottom.
*For a rectangular pan, cut the paper from the outside corner to the
marked corner, and stop there. Do this with all four corners. Place
paper into pan, covering bottoms and sides of pan, and wrap excess
paper around corners, inside the pan.
*For a round pan, follow the same procedure, but cut the paper from
the outside edges to the marked base of pan, cutting several times, in
a starburst-type pattern.

Source:
"Pat and Carol Zastera"
Yield:
"4 1/2 pounds"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 07:27:34a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Damsel in dis
Dress?

> Wow! Crash, who has sworn that he hates fruitcake, tasted a slice of
> one of the cupcakes I made, and actually liked it! I always use
> pecans (personal preference), but he said it needed walnuts. I'll cut
> back on the mixed fruit and use more whole candied cherries for the
> next batch. And I'll use both red and green.

Use grape juice, white if you prefer. Soak the fruit in it overnight. Also
use the grape juice to soak the cake. Due to lack of alcohol, I would
refrigerate the cake afterwards.


--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On 13 Dec 2005 15:42:30 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> Use grape juice, white if you prefer. Soak the fruit in it overnight. Also
> use the grape juice to soak the cake. Due to lack of alcohol, I would
> refrigerate the cake afterwards.

Sounds great to both of us! I'm still in a state of shock over the
fact that he actually liked it! The batter's so good, I could just
sit down and eat it with a spoon. Oh, and he wants the cupcakes, not
loaves.

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:27:34 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
> wrote:

>Wow! Crash, who has sworn that he hates fruitcake, tasted a slice of
>one of the cupcakes I made, and actually liked it! I always use
>pecans (personal preference), but he said it needed walnuts. I'll cut
>back on the mixed fruit and use more whole candied cherries for the
>next batch. And I'll use both red and green.
>
>Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
>fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
>it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
>me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
>other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
>liquors.
>
>Is there anything about fruitcake that makes it require booze? I'd
>like to make this for him again, but I don't want the cake to be
>super-dry for lack of hootch.
>
>My thoughts: Pre-soak the fruits with orange juice? Add more of
>something to the batter recipe for moisture? Here is the recipe. Pics
>are available at link in my sig. I need to use *this* recipe, but am
>wondering if it needs alterations.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Fruitcake
>
>Recipe By amsel
>Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
>Categories : cakes
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
>-------- ------------ --------------------------------
> ----BATTER----
> 1 cup sugar
> 1 cup butter
> 1/8 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
> 1/4 teaspoon mace
> 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
> 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
> 6 large eggs
> 2 teaspoons lemon extract
> 2 teaspoons vanilla
> 2 teaspoons sherry
> 2 1/2 cups flour
> ----FRUIT MIXTURE----
> 1/2 pound candied cherries
> 1 pound golden raisins
> 1/2 pound seedless raisins
> 1/2 pound currants
> 1/2 pound chopped pecans
> 1 pound mixed fruitcake fruit
> flour -- to coat fruit
>
>In a large bowl, combine batter ingredients in the order given,
>beating in one egg at a time. In a huge bowl, combine fruits and nuts.
>Add enough flour to the fruit mixture to coat lightly. Pour batter
>over fruit mixture; combine well.
>
>Line baking pans with at least two layers of heavy brown paper, such
>as postal wrapping paper, or grocery bags. (Instructions at end of
>post, if needed) Spoon batter into pans, filling no more than 2/3
>full.. Place shallow pan of water in bottom of 300 degree oven and
>bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out
>clean (1-1/2 hours for 1 pound cake, 2-1/2 to 3 hours for larger
>cakes) Remove from oven and pour rum over cakes while still hot. When
>cooled just enough to handle, remove paper from cakes and cool on a
>wire rack.
>
>When thoroughly cooled, saturate with more rum (optional). Decorate
>tops with candied fruits, attached to cake with corn syrup.
>Examples:
>*One-half red cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of green
>pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
>*One-half green cherry in center, with thin wedge-shaped slices of
>yellow pineapple on each side (rectangular cakes)
>*Pecan half in center, with pineapple on each end (rectangular cakes)
>*One-half cherry with thin wedge-shaped slices of pineapple forming a
>starburst around cherry center (round cakes)
>
>Wrap neatly with plastic wrap, using tape to secure wrap at the bottom
>of each loaf.
>
>Baking containers:
>*Any size loaf pan. I like to make tiny, individual-sized cakes for
>gift-giving.
>*Short coffee or sweet potato (yam) cans.
>
>Lining baking pans:
>*Cut paper to size. Be sure to allow enough to cover bottom of pan,
>and up the sides.
>*Mark the paper (on the side that will be away from the cake) to the
>size and shape of the pan bottom.
>*For a rectangular pan, cut the paper from the outside corner to the
>marked corner, and stop there. Do this with all four corners. Place
>paper into pan, covering bottoms and sides of pan, and wrap excess
>paper around corners, inside the pan.
>*For a round pan, follow the same procedure, but cut the paper from
>the outside edges to the marked base of pan, cutting several times, in
>a starburst-type pattern.
>
>Source:
> "Pat and Carol Zastera"
>Yield:
> "4 1/2 pounds"
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


I use Brandy for my fruitcakes. Just spritz them a couple of times
after they have cooled and wrap in plastic wrap. My grandmother's
recipe said to soak the fruits in white wine overnight. I don't think
I added more after baking.

In my opinion, alcohol is not necessary to a good fruitcake. But I
guess if it is the only way you have eaten it, the taste will not be
the same. Maybe you can taste the cake better.

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 07:47:59a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Damsel in
dis Dress?

> On 13 Dec 2005 15:42:30 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>> Use grape juice, white if you prefer. Soak the fruit in it overnight.
>> Also use the grape juice to soak the cake. Due to lack of alcohol, I
>> would refrigerate the cake afterwards.
>
> Sounds great to both of us! I'm still in a state of shock over the
> fact that he actually liked it! The batter's so good, I could just
> sit down and eat it with a spoon. Oh, and he wants the cupcakes, not
> loaves.
>
> Carol

Good! FWIW, my dad's mother would never permit alcohol in her house. She
always used grape juice in/on her fruitcakes and they were always
delicious.


--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:53:03 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

> In my opinion, alcohol is not necessary to a good fruitcake. But I
> guess if it is the only way you have eaten it, the taste will not be
> the same. Maybe you can taste the cake better.

It won't matter to Crash, since this is the first fruitcake he's ever
liked. I'll make it just for him. I don't like walnuts.

As it turns out, the recipe I used (developed by Mom and me, according
to the recipe card) isn't the one I remember from childhool. I
believe I've found her recipe online, and am working on getting a
couple things clarified before I make a batch. It's Dark Fruitcake
from Fanny Farmer's Baking Book.

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

On 13 Dec 2005 15:57:53 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> Good! FWIW, my dad's mother would never permit alcohol in her house. She
> always used grape juice in/on her fruitcakes and they were always
> delicious.

My dad's mother was active in the Temperance movement, way back when.
She was a good Methodist. There was no drinking in her house, either.

We're going with the white grape juice. There's just something
disturbing about the prospect of purple fruitcake. <G>

Thanks again,
Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 08:10:30a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Damsel in
dis Dress?

> On 13 Dec 2005 15:57:53 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>> Good! FWIW, my dad's mother would never permit alcohol in her house.
>> She always used grape juice in/on her fruitcakes and they were always
>> delicious.
>
> My dad's mother was active in the Temperance movement, way back when.
> She was a good Methodist. There was no drinking in her house, either.
>
> We're going with the white grape juice. There's just something
> disturbing about the prospect of purple fruitcake. <G>

You're welcome! Methodist, yes. Purple, no. <g>

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>
> Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
> fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
> it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
> me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
> other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
> liquors.
>
> Is there anything about fruitcake that makes it require booze? I'd
> like to make this for him again, but I don't want the cake to be
> super-dry for lack of hootch.
>
> My thoughts: Pre-soak the fruits with orange juice? Add more of
> something to the batter recipe for moisture? Here is the recipe. Pics
> are available at link in my sig. I need to use *this* recipe, but am
> wondering if it needs alterations.

[snipped recipe]

There's nothing about fruitcake that really requires booze. If you are
concerned that it needs more moisture, soak the *raisins* in something
-- water, vermouth, orange juice, apple juice, etc. (I used half water
and half orange juice once and it turned out lovely.) I wouldn't soak
the cherries, pineapples, dates, etc. if I were you cuz you'll have a
mess. HTH :-)

Bob

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:20:31 -0600, zxcvbob >
wrote:

> There's nothing about fruitcake that really requires booze. If you are
> concerned that it needs more moisture, soak the *raisins* in something
> -- water, vermouth, orange juice, apple juice, etc. (I used half water
> and half orange juice once and it turned out lovely.) I wouldn't soak
> the cherries, pineapples, dates, etc. if I were you cuz you'll have a
> mess. HTH :-)

Thanks, Bob. He's really looking forward to some fruitcake that he
can eat without worrying about anything!

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

In article >,
Damsel in dis Dress > wrote:

> Wow! Crash, who has sworn that he hates fruitcake, tasted a slice of
> one of the cupcakes I made, and actually liked it! I always use
> pecans (personal preference), but he said it needed walnuts. I'll cut
> back on the mixed fruit and use more whole candied cherries for the
> next batch. And I'll use both red and green.
>
> Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
> fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
> it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
> me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
> other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
> liquors.
>
> Is there anything about fruitcake that makes it require booze? I'd
> like to make this for him again, but I don't want the cake to be
> super-dry for lack of hootch.
>
> My thoughts: Pre-soak the fruits with orange juice? Add more of
> something to the batter recipe for moisture? Here is the recipe. Pics
> are available at link in my sig. I need to use *this* recipe, but am
> wondering if it needs alterations.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Fruitcake
>
> Recipe By amsel
> Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
> Categories : cakes
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------ --------------------------------
> ----BATTER----
> 1 cup sugar
> 1 cup butter
> 1/8 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
> 1/4 teaspoon mace
> 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
> 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
> 6 large eggs
> 2 teaspoons lemon extract
> 2 teaspoons vanilla
> 2 teaspoons sherry
> 2 1/2 cups flour
> ----FRUIT MIXTURE----
> 1/2 pound candied cherries
> 1 pound golden raisins
> 1/2 pound seedless raisins
> 1/2 pound currants
> 1/2 pound chopped pecans
> 1 pound mixed fruitcake fruit
> flour -- to coat fruit
>
> In a large bowl, combine batter ingredients in the order given,
> beating in one egg at a time. In a huge bowl, combine fruits and nuts.
> Add enough flour to the fruit mixture to coat lightly. Pour batter
> over fruit mixture; combine well.
>
> Line baking pans with at least two layers of heavy brown paper, such
> as postal wrapping paper, or grocery bags. (Instructions at end of
> post, if needed) Spoon batter into pans, filling no more than 2/3
> full.. Place shallow pan of water in bottom of 300 degree oven and
> bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out
> clean (1-1/2 hours for 1 pound cake, 2-1/2 to 3 hours for larger
> cakes) Remove from oven and pour rum over cakes while still hot. When
> cooled just enough to handle, remove paper from cakes and cool on a
> wire rack.

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Orange juice sounds plausible. Apple juice. Pear juice. Instead of
pouring the booze over, I've seen recipes wherein a saturated
cheesecloth is wrapped around the fruitcake. Something there?
And good for Crash for recognizing the temptation.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-11-05 - Good Food, Good Friends

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> Orange juice sounds plausible. Apple juice. Pear juice. Instead of
> pouring the booze over, I've seen recipes wherein a saturated
> cheesecloth is wrapped around the fruitcake. Something there?
> And good for Crash...

Prune juice...

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:53:52 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

> Orange juice sounds plausible. Apple juice. Pear juice. Instead of
> pouring the booze over, I've seen recipes wherein a saturated
> cheesecloth is wrapped around the fruitcake. Something there?
> And good for Crash for recognizing the temptation.

I'm proud of him, too. He always keeps a bottle of Bacardi around,
just in case. But whenever one of those cases arises, he staunchly
refuses to hit the bottle. He really, really wants a drink, but he's
a strong guy.

So now we have four different fruit juices to choose from. I'll see
which he thinks will taste best and do it that way. They're his
fruitcakes. With all those walnuts, I'm sure not going to eat them!

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

On 13 Dec 2005 09:59:20 -0800, "Sheldon" > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> >
> > Orange juice sounds plausible. Apple juice. Pear juice. Instead of
> > pouring the booze over, I've seen recipes wherein a saturated
> > cheesecloth is wrapped around the fruitcake. Something there?
> > And good for Crash...
>
> Prune juice...

He's twenty years your junior, Sheldon. He doesn't need prune juice
yet. Save it for your own use.

Thanks for the suggestion,
Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> On 13 Dec 2005 09:59:20 -0800, "Sheldon" > wrote:
>
>
>>Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>>
>>>Orange juice sounds plausible. Apple juice. Pear juice. Instead of
>>>pouring the booze over, I've seen recipes wherein a saturated
>>>cheesecloth is wrapped around the fruitcake. Something there?
>>>And good for Crash...
>>
>>Prune juice...
>
>
> He's twenty years your junior, Sheldon. He doesn't need prune juice
> yet. Save it for your own use.
>
> Thanks for the suggestion,
> Carol


Actually, prune juice would be a good addition to fruitcake (as long as
it is a dark fruitcake). Don't soak the raisins in it, just use it to
thin the batter.

Your recipe calls for a little bit of sherry. Are you using sherry?
Just soak the raisins in sherry instead of adding that tiny bit as a
flavoring.

Bob

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:29:43 -0600, zxcvbob >
wrote:

> Actually, prune juice would be a good addition to fruitcake (as long as
> it is a dark fruitcake). Don't soak the raisins in it, just use it to
> thin the batter.

This is a light cake, with all that nasty candied fruit. LOL!

> Your recipe calls for a little bit of sherry. Are you using sherry?
> Just soak the raisins in sherry instead of adding that tiny bit as a
> flavoring.

No, I wasn't going to go buy a whole bottle of sherry so I could use 2
teaspoons of it in a recipe where the fruit would overpower the flavor
anyway. I'll skip it on the next round, too.

The dark fruitcake recipe that I'm making for myself next month has
raisins, currants, figs, dates, prunes, and apricot. More than enough
to keep me regular, so I won't be using prune juice in that, either.
More likely, Amaretto.

Thanks,
Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

In article >,
Damsel in dis Dress > wrote:

> On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:53:52 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:

>
> So now we have four different fruit juices to choose from. I'll see
> which he thinks will taste best and do it that way. They're his
> fruitcakes. With all those walnuts, I'm sure not going to eat them!
>
> Carol

I'd go for the apple juice, I think. I'd be looking for a mild and
neutral flavor -- that's why apple juice, white grape juice, and pear
juice are usually included in "100% fruit juice" beverages. It allows
for "100%" statement without significantly changing the flavor of the
label-named flavor.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-13-05 - RIP, Gerri

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:14:44 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

> I'd go for the apple juice, I think. I'd be looking for a mild and
> neutral flavor -- that's why apple juice, white grape juice, and pear
> juice are usually included in "100% fruit juice" beverages. It allows
> for "100%" statement without significantly changing the flavor of the
> label-named flavor.

Crash says he wants to go with apple.

Thanks for your help!
Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

> Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
> fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
> it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
> me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
> other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
> liquors.

Was this before or after you soaked the finished cake in booze?

Personally, I find it's perfectly fine without the after-bake soak. The
soaked fruit has cooked off and doesn't taste like "alcohol". I used to
like it soaked in booze too, but I'm on meds that conflict with it, and
so many of our friends around here are such anti-liquor extremists they
won't even use recipes that call for a few tablespoons of wine for fear
they'll taste it.

You might use brandy instead of rum to soak the fruit. Top the baked
cakes with a little powdered sugar before serving.



Dawn

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 20:32:26 GMT, Dawn >
wrote:

> Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>
> > Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
> > fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
> > it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
> > me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
> > other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
> > liquors.
>
> Was this before or after you soaked the finished cake in booze?

After. I'm not a booze person and I didn't notice the rum flavor. But
he did. Those things were soaked extremely well.

> Personally, I find it's perfectly fine without the after-bake soak. The
> soaked fruit has cooked off and doesn't taste like "alcohol". I used to
> like it soaked in booze too, but I'm on meds that conflict with it, and
> so many of our friends around here are such anti-liquor extremists they
> won't even use recipes that call for a few tablespoons of wine for fear
> they'll taste it.

Crash has the medication conflict, as well. He can handle a little
wine cooked into dishes, but only small amounts.

> You might use brandy instead of rum to soak the fruit. Top the baked
> cakes with a little powdered sugar before serving.

He said that brandy would be a bad idea, too. He wants the cakes to
be alcohol-free. He's done so well for the past several years.
Niether of us want him to fall back into drinking. He was hard core.
Several instances of alcohol poisoning. It's very important for him
not to fall off the wagon, especially from eating food.

BTW, before I posted about his alcoholism, I asked if that was okay.
He said he has no problem whatsoever with people knowing about any
aspect of his problem, so I'm not telling tales out of school.

Thanks for your input!
Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:27:34 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
> wrote:


>Here's the issue. Crash is a recovering alcoholic. He gave the
>fruitcake back to me after taking one slice and told me if he finished
>it, it would set him off. Rum was his drink of choice. He just asked
>me to hide the rest of the bottle. He can handle small amounts of
>other alcoholic beverages (wine, wine coolers, etc.), but not hard
>liquors.
>
>Is there anything about fruitcake that makes it require booze? I'd
>like to make this for him again, but I don't want the cake to be
>super-dry for lack of hootch.
>

You don't need to add booze. The main reason for adding booze to
fruitcakes is to help preserve them, since fruitcakes are
traditionally made up to a year before Xmas. Just follow your recipe
but leave out the booze.

Kathy in NZ

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:14:43 GMT, (Kathy in NZ) wrote:

> You don't need to add booze. The main reason for adding booze to
> fruitcakes is to help preserve them, since fruitcakes are
> traditionally made up to a year before Xmas. Just follow your recipe
> but leave out the booze.

Thank you very kindly, Kathy!

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

"Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:27:34 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
> > wrote:
>
The main reason for adding booze to
> fruitcakes is to help preserve them, since fruitcakes are
> traditionally made up to a year before Xmas. Just follow your recipe
> but leave out the booze.
>
> Kathy in NZ

I'm wondering what brought about the tradition of making up the cake up so
far in advance; availability of fruits and nuts?

I once had a cake recipe with booze added at regular intervals that I kept
going in a tupperware for about 3 months before Christmas; it didn't have
many fruits and nuts in it (if at all). Too many years ago to remember, but
it could've been a Chef Tell recipe or Wolfgang Puck; it did fall apart on
me when scooped out of the tupperware. I didn't trust it to turn it out
onto a cake plate.
Dee Dee

"Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
...

>
> You don't need to add booze. The main reason for adding booze to
> fruitcakes is to help preserve them, since fruitcakes are
> traditionally made up to a year before Xmas.

...and are normally expected to have a shelf life of at least
ten years beyond...:-)

Bob M.