From fruit cake failures to 50th anniversary replica wedding cakes, the fruit cake is both loved and hated. My late husband considered fruit cake to be “an abomination of the English”. Since I’m of that generation where we half-heartedly tried to please our husbands while refusing to say, “My husband won’t let me…..” , I seldom made fruit cake in the 42 years that we were married.
Now it seems like it’s a bit late for me to catch up. I recently tried to make the Spiced Dark Fruit Cake from Edith Adams’ Christmas Baking but I’m pretty sure it’s burnt, not just “very dark” as the note at the end of the recipe states. It tastes slightly better with the addition of an almond paste icing.
Edith Adams’ Christmas Baking has two full pages of instructions on Christmas Cakes. A few of the points that might have helped me, if I had read the instructions more carefully:
- A large proportion of the fruit should be glazed. Maybe I should not have substituted dried pineapple and dried cranberries for the glazed cherries and candied citron.
- The recommended temperature for a cake baked in a 4×8 inch loaf pan is 300⁰ F. Is it possible that gas ovens have higher temperatures? Also, did my brain accidentally read this as 325?
- Three layers of brown paper might have worked better to line the pans than one layer of parchment paper.
- The loaf pans I used are dark and old. Edith Adams recommends bright, shining pans.
Edith Adams admits that there might be failures if one does not follow instructions to the letter and recommends two courses of action:
- REMAKE THE CAKE
- MAKE CAKE INTO STEAMED PUDDING
I do think that fruit cake is useful for many different purposes – for example, it could provide an excellent project for an inquiry project (look under Teacher Resources on this website). Here is an example from Rosie Dyck, a UBC grad student, who replicated her parents’ wedding cake for their fiftieth wedding anniversary. She made the three fruit cakes that comprise the cake using her grandmother’s multi-tiered pans. She said she had to practice making pillars and fondant roses and that the cake tasted delicious doused with rum syrup. In the photo you’ll notice a photograph of the original cake.
For more information on fruit cakes, see the following blog posts by my two BC Food History colleagues who are much better bakers than me:
https://bcfoodhistory.ca/fruitcake-christmas-cake/
https://bcfoodhistory.ca/vernon-applesauce-fruit-cake-new-tradition/
https://bcfoodhistory.ca/candied-glace-fruit/
For myself, I’m thinking I will buy a small fruit cake from a large chain store and declare it a done deal.
Hi Mary Leah,
You brought back lots of memories with this fruit cake article. My grandmother’s pans were all well seasoned (black). I don’t recall ever seeing a “shiny” pan in her pantry.
I love you sense of humour. You still have not clarified the “chicken sexing” for me…..
I know that dark pans are a good idea, but I’m only quoting Edith Adams.
As for chicken-sexing, the internet is a pretty good source of more explicit information….
“Maybe I should not have substituted dried pineapple and dried cranberries for the glazed cherries and candied citron.” Oh yes, that’s a no no, even though it seems reasonable at first blush. It will dry the cake out. “SUBSTITUTES FOR CANDIED FRUIT: Not dried fruit. If you want or need to use dried fruit, look for a fruitcake recipe which calls for it. The recipe will likely have additional liquids or steps in it to compensate for the fruit being dried.” ( https://www.cooksinfo.com/candied-fruit#Substitutes )
Sorry I realize this tidbit of info is coming two years two late!
Thanks again. It’s true, the cake I made was terribly dry and went to the compost. I might need to re-read Harold McGee and/or some good science references.
Has anyone ever miss read the recipe and added too much butter to a fruit cake??