How to Spike a Fruitcake
I hate to be the one to do this, but it is time to clear up a few misconceptions about fruitcake. Fruitcake is one of the most reviled foods on the entire planet. Surveys have shown fruitcakes to be among the least popular of all gifts. People make jokes about how bad it is. Those jokes have been around for generations, and the cakes are still gifted left and right throughout the holiday season.
Although somebody must like them, it is not hard to see where the jokes came from either. We’ve all been there, as children, our tiny selves, watched as the adults in our lives literally devoured that stuff, and we, of course, wanted a piece too. What kid doesn’t like cake, much less doesn’t expect a piece when everybody else is eating cake? That is not how it goes with fruitcake though.
Did anyone ever actually offer you a piece of fruitcake when you were a child? I am going to guess that they didn’t. You had to ask. There was a reason for that. There would be a pause, and then, “Oh, that is Granddaddy’s fruitcake, or maybe Uncle Gene’s. Let me get you a slice of that cake over here.”
Nobody ever questioned why Granddaddy and Uncle Gene had their own fruitcake, or why nobody else ever got as much as a bite of it, not a bite. I’ll tell you why.
It is because they were spiking their fruitcake. And it wasn’t just a little spike. They were spiking those things good. Granddaddy’s fruitcake got an extra spike, and so did Uncle Gene’s.
Fruitcakes are a tradition in these parts, but the heart of that particular tradition is not always shared with the little ones. Old-timers would bake their fruitcakes at least a month before Christmas, at least. Three months were considered ideal. Some folks bought theirs. It didn’t matter much. But the old-timers made sure they got one early enough to make it worth eating.
Once they got their fruitcake, they would douse it with a shot or two of their favorite libation, or whatever they happened to have on hand. Some folks are particular about what they spike their fruitcake with, but others just get something cheap, like what they would normally cook with, since they aren’t going to be drinking it.
If you are spiking your own fruitcake, it doesn’t have to be anything expensive; whatever strong drink you like or happen to have on hand will do just fine. A lot of people like to spike theirs with rum, which is considered traditional among many fruitcake aficionados. However, others prefer bourbon or whiskey. Orange liqueur is also a big favorite fruitcake; it will give you a nice pop of flavor when it picks up on the fruit in your cake.
Being as I am from the hill country, I like to spike mine with Jack Daniels. If you’ve ever been to Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Restaurant, over in Lynchburg, Tennessee, you will learn that folks in these parts use Jack Daniels like some folks use vanilla flavoring. Put a splash in your sweet potato casserole. A splash is a nice touch in your cranberry sauce too, I call mine “Jacked,” but I digress. Anyway, take your pick as to what you want to use to spike your fruitcake.
Getting back to the business of fruitcake spiking, after they gave it a good soaking with their favorite libation, the old-timers would wrap it up (parchment paper works well) and put it in one of those Christmas cake tins. Then, they let it sit a week or more to let the libation soak in real good and start mellowing the flavor. After that, they’d take it out, and drizzle some more of that libation over the cake. They’d keep repeating this process every week or two all the way up until Christmas. By the time Christmas came around, that cake would be very mellow and very spirited indeed. Why do you think they call it Christmas spirit?
So, there you have it. You’ve tasted fruitcake, or you thought you have, and you didn’t like it. Did it even make sense why all those old-timers were digging into that fruitcake with such glee?
Nope. Not a lick. You were no dummy, but you were also well aware that the stuff they were shoving at you was barely edible. No matter how hard you tried, you could not share their glee with that dry stuff they handed you. Now, you know the truth though. It is because the stuff they gave you kids is not what they were eating.
You are a grown-up now, or I am guessing you are if you are reading my blog. I am not going to tell you how to bake a fruitcake, I am going to tell you how to spike the one that somebody gifts you or that you buy yourself off the shelf. There are several good ones out there.
Claxton Fruitcake Company: Claxton was my Granddaddy’s favorite fruitcake. Being real, I don’t have a clue whether he spiked his or not, but I do know that he loved Claxton Fruitcakes and he was always very particular about his fruitcake. He got his own fruitcake every Christmas. Claxton is a traditional fruitcake: moist with a mild flavor and a lot of fruit. They are very popular and reasonably priced. You can find them in grocery stores during the holiday season.
Collin Street Bakery: A dear friend from out in Texas swears that Collin Street Fruitcake is the absolute best fruitcake there is. I thought he was just talking at the mouth, everything bigger and better in Texas and all that. Then he sent me one of those fruitcakes. It could be that he got me on that one, it is on up there. It is loaded with pecans and has a good nutty flavor. If you are a pecan lover, which I am, I’d say go with the Collin Street Fruitcake.
Southern Supreme: This other friend is from North Carolina, and he swears by Southern Supreme over in Bear Creek, North Carolina. That one is a good traditional fruitcake, moist and full of fruit, the way folks like it in the South. Yep, it’s a good cake too.
Wolferman’s Bakery: Then there is Wolferman’s, they are my go to bakery for good English muffins, so I had to try their fruitcake as well. Their fruitcake is also moist and full of fruit. It is an old-world style fruitcake, like the Europeans made during the Middle Ages. It is tender and moist, and it is spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger, like they made in the old country.
You can’t go wrong with either of these fruitcakes. It just depends on whether you prefer a more traditional flavor, one with lots of nuts, or an old-world spiced fruitcake.
Fruitcakes have a long tradition in gift giving and regifting, as opposed to being a popular culinary favorite. That is very likely because folks didn’t know that they were really better spiked. If someone gifts you with a fruitcake, spike that thing and you are good to go.
Now, let’s get down to business. For spiking purposes, all you really need is a fruitcake, a bottle of liquor, maybe a few toothpicks to poke holes in it so the liquor will soak in better, and something to store it in. The ones that come in a tin are very convenient and easy to store, for aging after you spike it, but a plastic bag will do just fine.
Regina Garson’s Spiked Fruitcake
Ingredients:
- 1 fruitcake
- 1 bottle of liquor (your choice, to be used 1 or 2 shots at a time)
Instructions:
- Cut a piece of parchment paper that is big enough to line the tin and cover the top of the fruitcake.
- Line the tin with the parchment paper and set the fruitcake on top of it.
- Use a toothpick to poke holes in the fruitcake.
- Drizzle the liquor over the top of the fruitcake and let it soak in.
- Wrap the parchment paper over the top of the fruitcake and store it in the tin. If you don’t have a tin, a plastic bag will do just fine.
- Store it in a cool dry place. Some folks like to keep theirs in the refrigerator.
- Check back in a week or so and pour another shot or two of liquor over the cake. Make sure it is good and moist.
- Wrap the fruitcake back up and let it sit another week or two.
- Repeat this process until Christmas, or until you have it soaked to your liking, or until you don’t have any fruitcake left.
Fruitcakes have been known to last for a very long time, I am talking years, and that is because of the preservative powers of the liquor. If your fruitcake is very moist or you live in a hot area, you may want to store it in the refrigerator, but that is not generally necessary because of the preservative qualities of/and the amount of liquor in the cake.
The fruitcake reviews are my own unpaid, unbiased opinions. I did have a couple of friends send me one of their favorite fruitcakes though.
Also note, if you are going to take a spiked fruitcake to a potluck dinner, you need to be telling folks that it contains alcohol. It is the right thing to do.
