Best Fruit Cake Made By Monks

Fruitcakes Were Absolutely Nutty For

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There are certain experiences that are synonymous with the holiday season. This may include visual things, like Hallmark Christmas movies, or the sounds of holiday music, but also tastes and flavors. Is it the holiday season at all if were not surrounded by egg nog, yule logs and, of course, fruitcakes?

While deciding what to wear to the family Christmas party or where to order a Christmas tree online, your mind is probably going to turn to the holiday dessert menu. That menu often includes fruitcake.

Of course, fruitcakes are often treated pretty unfairly and historically have something of a bad reputation. But those are only bad fruitcakes. The reason that these cakes have such a rich holiday tradition is because the good ones are actually pretty awesome. Whats not to like about a fruity cake that is often spicy and filled with alcohol? Whether it includes candied fruit, dried fruit, nuts or other ingredients thrown into the mix, there are a lot of ways to individualize a fruitcake recipe and to make these cakes special and memorable.

The best fruitcakes are not dry and dense, as the unfair reputation suggests, but moist and flavorful. When done just right, theyre the perfect dessert to enjoy with that eggnog while decorating the Christmas tree or wrapping some presents.

Why Youll Love This Fruit Cake Recipe:

The words âworldâs bestâ and fruit cake are generally not seen as compatible with one another. After all, fruit cake is one of the most ridiculed baked goods in existence!

You know those ones that are sold in the stores or sent as gifts at this time of the year? The ones that contain the neon candied fruit pieces? I despise those fruit cakes too!

Most fruit cakes are dry, overly sweet, and bland in flavor.

This fruit cake is not your average fruit cake recipe. It is the BEST! Made with wholesome, real ingredients, this fruit cake is moist and perfectly balanced in flavor.

Traditional Favorites And International Variations Of A Holiday Classic

Jenny Kellerhals is a freelance writer covering food and beverage. She is also a pastry chef and an active recipe developer with more than a decade in the industry.

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the bestproducts youcan learn more about ourreview process here.We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

As soon as the holiday decorations go up and “A Christmas Story” starts playing on repeat on TV, you know the fruitcake is soon to follow. Every fruitcake is unique to the baker making it, and everyone has their preference for the kinds of fruit, level of spiciness, overall crumb, and addition of alcohol that make for the perfect fruitcake. But, a few ingredients are consistent in almost every recipe.

There likely will be brightly-colored jellied fruit. Embrace it. Most of the time, fruitcakes include cherries, dried fruit, pineapple, raisins, and candied citrus. In the United States, most fruitcakes are also made with pecans, as pecans are native to the South. Not surprisingly, the fruitcake tradition is strongest in the South and throughout Texas. Cakes made with less fruit or at times of the year other than the holidays are often called “pecan cakes” instead of fruitcakes. The cakes are typically decorated with more fruit and nuts and generally don’t need icing.

• Available in four different sizes

• Larger cakes available in attractive tin

• Super moist classic recipe

• Three out of the four sizes arrive as loaves

Read Also: Dairy Queen Ice Cream Log

Assumption Abbey In Ava Missouri Sells Its Fruitcakes All Over The World Including In The Famous Williams

This year marks the 30th anniversary of fruitcakes being baked at the abbey.

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Secluded Assumption Abbey is tucked in the woods near Ava, Missouri.

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The monks belong to the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance theyre more familiarly called Trappists.

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Cakes have been sent to Australia, South Korea and Iran.

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Fruit is soaked for two weeks in four gallons of Burgundy wine.

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After the cakes are baked, they’re brushed with hot corn syrup before the brothers add pecans and dried cherries.

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The brothers who do the decorating, as well as bakery assistant Father Basil, are newly arrived from Vietnam.

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The monks bless the fruitcakes before packing them in tins.

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Fruitcakes are packaged in white tins and stacked inside a warehouse adjacent to the kitchen to age.

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At about 5:30am, five days a week and every other Saturday, Michael Hogue arrives at the abbey’s bakery. Hes not a monk hes not even Catholic but hes been the head baker at Assumption for five years. He lives about a mile up the road, which is partly why he took the job.

I dream about fruitcake, Hogue chuckles.

Tomorrow as Hogue puts it, like the movie Groundhog Day the brothers will commune once more and do it all over again.

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Shipping And Delivery Dates

Keep in mind when ordering a fruitcake that shipping and delivery dates will vary with each supplier. Most of the fruitcakes in this round-up are shipped nationwide, several days a week, although some bakeries have cutoff times for weekly shipments. Some of the larger operations ship every day during the business week and offer several different shipping speed options. Its best to plan your delivery well in advance of when you think youll need it to ensure itll arrive on time. You can take comfort in knowing that most fruitcakes will hold for an extended time.

Read Also: Nothing Bundt Gluten Free

Nuns Of New Skete Monastery Cambridge New York

This self-supporting community of orthodox nuns at the Monastery at New Skete in upstate New York are famous for their cheesecake. Not as well-known but just as beloved is their brandied fruitcake. Our tasting panel rated this festive 2 pound, 9 inch fruitcake ring just as highly as Eilenbergers fruitcake which is reviewed above. Our tasters particularly appreciated the holiday tin it arrives in. They describe the fruitcake as dense and chewy with fruit which is balanced by the crunch of walnuts. Some reviewers felt the cake uses too many raisins , and they would have preferred more cherries. Again, tastes in fruitcakes can be very specific, but all the reviewers agreed you can buy this fruit-filled cake confident that the excellent ingredients used add up to a delicious fruitcake that can be enjoyed year round. Available via GoldBelly.

How To Make The Best Fruit Cake:

This fruit cake recipe, which yields two standard loaf cakes, is all about the dried fruit. Weâll be using only unsweetened dried and fresh fruit for this recipe.

This fruit cake contains a ton of dried fruit. Donât be alarmed! This recipe uses a wide variety of tart and sweeter dried fruit: golden raisins, dark raisins, figs, prunes, cherries, apricots, and peaches.

To cut the sweetness and add amazing flavor, weâll soak the dried fruit mixture in dark rum the day before baking. Note: I recommend soaking the fruit for a minimum of 12 hours or as long as 24 hours.

The dried fruit will hydrate and plump up and soak up all of the dark rum during this time. Donât skip this step!

The soaked dried fruit is folded into the fruit cake batter the following day.

For added flavor, weâll also be adding orange and lemon zest, orange juice, fresh grated Granny Smith apple, slivered almonds, and diced crystallized ginger .

You can even add bittersweet chocolate, which is my dad and sisterâs favorite variation!

The fruit cake batter is transferred and divided between two loaf pans and baked in a loaf tin at a low temperature for nearly an hour and a half.

If youâre using the loaf pan Iâm using from All-Clad, no need to grease the pan or add any parchment paper!

Since this cake has a such a large ratio of dried fruit, weâll allow the fruit cakes to cool completely in the loaf pans before removing them.

Don’t Miss: Sams Club Birthday Cakes And Cupcakes

Commonly Asked Fruit Cake Baking Questions:

When should I starting baking fruit cake?

Since this fruit cake only improves in flavor as it sits, the sooner the better! I recommend wrapping it with cheesecloth for one to two weeks, at minimum, for best flavor before serving or gifting.

Can I substitute or use other types of dried fruit?

Iâve included my favorite ratios in the recipe below as they offer a good balance of tart and sweeter fruits but you can adapt it to make it your own. If making substitutions, I highly recommend measuring by weight to avoid any issues.

Can I make this fruitcake without alcohol?

While the flavor will not be the same or as originally intended, you can try soaking the dried fruit in orange juice . I havenât personally tested this variation, but functionally it will plump up the dried fruit in the same way. You will need to skip the soaking of the cake as well, which is absolutely fine, but will result in a less complex flavor, slightly drier cake and will reduce its storage life slightly.

How many servings does this recipe make?

This cake yields two loaf cakes. Perfect for keeping one to yourself and another for gifting .

Since this cake is very dense and rich, one loaf cake goes a long way. We use a serrated knife to cut it into thin slices or cut regular slices in half. It tastes fantastic on its own or with a smear of salted butter!

Can I bake this fruitcake in a smaller loaf tins, round cake pan, etc.?

Thank you All-Clad for sponsoring this post!

Southern Supreme Fruitcakes Bear Creek North Carolina

Youve heard the expression nutty as a fruitcake right? It is a phrase coined in the south where nuts are grown in abundance and used liberally in baked goods like fruitcake. As you would expect, the Southern Supreme fruit cake uses nuts as a star ingredient. Made in North Carolina, it is a moist and chewy cake, featuring walnuts and fresh pecans mixed with golden raisins, dates, pineapple and candied cherries. The one pound fruitcakes measures 6 1/2 in. x 2 in x 1 1/2 in. With a bright red cherry decoration, this is a classic to add to your holiday dessert table.

Available at Amazon Southern Supreme Fruitcake

Recommended Reading: Wilton Cake Serving Sizes

Need More Christmas Dessert Ideas

Click on the photo to follow the link below to our Best Christmas Cake Recipes.

Like this Old English Fruitcake recipe?

You can find plenty of other ideas in our Christmas Recipes Category and be sure to browse over 200 cookies for Christmas baking in on our Cookie Pages.

To keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes plus daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals, be sure to follow and follow us on .

Old English Fruitcake

You can also to know immediately when we add new recipes. Youll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly meals and desserts too!

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Trappist Monks Are Making Some Of America’s Best Fruitcake

If your aunt’s fruitcake isn’t your favorite festive food, perhaps you should try letting a brother make it. No, not your sibling, but one of the monks at the handful of Trappist abbeys in America that specialize in the sweet, seasonal item. As NPR’s The Salt reports, cottage industries are the key to keeping many of these solitary, silent monastic orders financially afloat. One abbey in Missouri was making concrete blocks before switching to baking the holiday cakes, and the joke isn’t lost on Father Cyprian Harrison who notes “we only had to change the recipe a little.”

Also Check: Mrs Fields Birthday Cookies

Claxton Fruitcakes Claxton Georgia

The Claxton Fruitcake, which is proudly made in Claxton, Georgia, has the advantage of being carried by grocery stores across the country, giving them a top-of-mind familiarity at the holidays. Seeing their retro red and white holiday striped boxes stacked in your local grocery is the surest sign that the holiday season is unquestionably upon us. Bright candied red and green cherries top a dense pound cake that binds together California raisins, pineapple, Georgia pecans, cherries, walnuts, almonds and lemon and orange peel. Available on Amazon in 1, 2 and 3 pound options.

Best Stollen: Williams Sonoma Dresden Stollen

• Great as a gift or special treat

• Ideal with coffee or champagne

• Dries out faster than fruitcake

You’ll recognize the classic stollen by the powdery white confectioner’s sugar coats this German holiday loaf. Unlike American fruitcakes, the stollen is a yeast-leavened sweet dough studded with rum-soaked dried fruits and nuts. The freeform loaf is ultra buttery and served in slices. It pairs perfectly with a mulled wine, warm coffee, or bottle of bubbly.

Shipping Information: Williams Sonoma ships via UPS, with orders arriving within 3 to 5 business days. Cost of shipping not included.

• Includes pecans, almonds, and walnuts

• Aged in brandy and sherry

• Nice storage gift tin

• Not decorated ornately

If you love fruitcake but are looking for a gluten-free option, you might not find very many choicesbut you don’t have to go without. Marilyn’s Gluten-Free Gourmet Fruit Cake is highly rated by those who’ve tried it. While the texture might not exactly resemble a traditional fruitcake, reviewers agree that the flavors are nicely balanced, and the cake is satisfyingly moist. The cake arrives in a white gift tin for easy giving or safe transportation from the fridge to the couch.

• Much better than store-bought panettone

• Nice alternative to fruitcake

• Often sells out quickly

Shipping Information: Panettone is shipped fresh directly from San Francisco via Ground shipping anywhere in the U.S.

• Number of cookies vary by weight

Read Also: Custom Cake Sams Club

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