Thus, this tradition helped the cake achieve its reputation as a tough, rock hard dessert. As evidence of their long shelf life, a year-old fruitcake was found in Antarctica earlier this year.
And yes, it is believed to be edible. The cake is thought to have belonged to British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who even in the most frigid of circumstances, left his dessert untouched. Despite their questionable texture, they still maintain their status as special occasion treats overseas.
By the s, thanks to increasing industrialization and inexpensive access to fruits and nuts, Southern bakeries were able to mass produce the dessert. Because of these conveniences and their remarkably long shelf life, the cakes were able to be sold via mail order catalog across the United States.
All of a sudden there was a cheap, accessible, and easily gift-able cake on the national scene. They filled an untapped market, resulting in quick proliferation and near ubiquity. In fact, for a while, people actually liked receiving fruitcakes as presents.
This is the problem. A fruitcake should be rich, it should taste like dried fruit and spices and alcohol. My fruitcake uses good, single-barrel Scotch, golden raisins, dried sour Michigan cherries, diced dried apricots, candied orange peels, and some honey with dark brown sugar and a bit of salt.
It should be dense and moist. It should be delicious. I'm not sure if the holiday cheer is clouding my judgment, but does that fruitcake recipe actually sound National tastes, like trends, evolve with each generation. As evidenced by the last decade's artisanal food boom, young people are interested in food and drinks with complex flavor profiles, like dark chocolate, craft beers , strong coffee , and gourmet cheeses.
We're also actively rejecting the unhealthy, processed foods we grew up eating. It was very light, very sweet, and really, the antithesis of fruitcake. Fruitcake is just a taste that fell out of habit, and became really a dessert associated with the old and out of touch. And as a result, ended up a punchline for jokes around Christmas time.
There is room to rediscover the fruitcake. It can be really good. We like things that are familiar, and we like novelty. Fruitcake can cover both bases, if made correctly and with some style. Taste is cyclical, so it stands to reason that at some point in the future, our food- and fad-obsessed culture will embrace the fruitcake once again. Kitchen Tips and Tools. Delish Shop. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories.
The "fruit" is a mystery. It's a total waste of calories. Even booze can't save it. Sometimes the loaf has rum or other alcohol in it. No wonder the tough loaf is often considered the holiday punchline. The fruitcake at the convenience store is a terrible rendition of what it is supposed to taste like.
So, what does fruitcake taste like? Good, homemade fruitcake is dense but never dry and tough. It is rich in spice and has a lovely portion of nuts and preserved fruits in it. It is often soaked in liquor — typically rum — for a while before it is served. But then why does most fruitcake you find in stores and also online taste dry and have fluorescent-looking candy in it?
It is meant to be a bread base with dried or candied nuts and fruits. Also, an authentic fruitcake must have alcohol in it.
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