I Reiterate What I've Said Before...I Am Not a Fruitcake!

Today I am extremely happy for fruitcake friends. Oops. What I mean is this... my friend Debby posted her Gramma Violet's fruitcake recipe (click here and scroll down for the recipe), and, Boy! do I appreciate her having done that. (Debby is not a fruitcake. I assure you of that. She may be a bit of a character, but then, aren't we all, and if the rest of us are not classified as fruitcakes, neither is she! If you want to test that theory, you can read her main blog page here.)

Yep. Last night I baked Gramma Violet's fruitcake. Now I know that down south a true fruitcake has fruit that is soaked in rum or brandy or both, but I've never eaten one of those "down south" fruitcakes so I can't compare the two. But I have eaten good fruitcake and I love fruitcake. (for the sake of clarity, I reiterate here that I myself am not a fruitcake. I emphasize that. I am NOT.)

Putting this recipe together is easy. Gramma Violet said to use a tube pan and all I had was one of those two-piece angel food pans and I figured that fits the bill okay. Butter the pan. Cut some wax paper to line the pan. I think parchment paper might work as well. Then butter the paper. The pan is ready.

I did not have the full amount of recommended candied fruit so I subbed a few dried apricots which I snipped into bits with my kitchen shears. The recipe calls for chopped walnuts and I think next time I'll add a few pecans as well. I like walnuts and I like pecans. Both should add their own unique crunchy flavor. Most recipes use some kind of glaze but Debby says she does not, and so this morning, after letting that cake sit overnight, I cut myself a slice. I think "down south" fruitcake is supposed to age and mellow but believe me, this one is already delicious. If the flavors meld over time, so much the better.

Oh, Man, do I love this cake! Debby will be my best fruitcake friend forever! And Gramma Violet's recipe will reside in my stash of "best" recipes.


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