A few years ago we tested out a bunch of vintage quick fruit cake recipes for the blog. This was the best of the bunch; quick, easy and good to eat right away. Andit’s even better after it isbeen wrapped in some alcohol-spiked cheesecloth. Enjoy!
This year for our Christmas baking we decided to throw all caution to the wind and to venture into the land of doorstops and vibrantly-colored, nuclear fruit.
That’s right. This year it’s fruit cake for all!
What’s funny is that during the mid-century, fruit cake was already considered a “grandma’s dessert” and the butt of many a joke. So we thought it would be interesting to test out a couple of recipes from magazine ads of the time to see what the interpretations of “hip” or “quick” fruit cakes of the day would be.
But we had to have a place to start, so we picked this classic Wesson Oil fruit cake recipe from an ad in a 1953 Better Homes & Gardens magazine.
AuthorRetroRuth
From Wesson Oil Test Kitchen
Recipe Test
1 cup oil
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
4 Eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1 cup pineapple, apple or orange juice
1 cup chopped candied pineapple
1 cup thinly sliced citron
1 ½ cups whole candied cherries
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried figs
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups coarsely chopped mixed nuts
1
Mix together oil, brown sugar and eggs in a bowl. Vigorously beat with a spoon or electric mixer for two minutes.
2
Sift together 2 cups of flour and rest of dry ingredients. Stir into oil mixture alternately with the juice.
3
Sift remaining cup of flour over combined fruits and nuts. Pour batter over fruit and mix.
4
Line 2 greased loaf pans with paper. Pour batter into pans. Place a pan of water on the lower rack of the oven.
5
Bake cakes for 2½ to 3 hours in a slow oven (275 degrees). *Mine took 2½ hours to bake*
6
Cool on racks without removing the paper. When cool, remove paper and seal in a covered container in a cool place to ripen.
CategoryBread and Rolls, Cake, Christmas, Desserts, Fruit, Fruit, Quick Bread, Raisins, Cooking MethodBakeTags#allspice, #applejuice, #bakingpowder, #brownsugar, #candiedcherries, #candiedpineapple, #cinnamon, #citron, #cloves, #driedfigs, #egg, #flour, #mixednuts, #oil, #orangejuice, #pineapplejuice, #raisins, #salt, #walnuts
Ingredients
1 cup oil
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
4 Eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1 cup pineapple, apple or orange juice
1 cup chopped candied pineapple
1 cup thinly sliced citron
1 ½ cups whole candied cherries
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried figs
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups coarsely chopped mixed nuts
Directions
1
Mix together oil, brown sugar and eggs in a bowl. Vigorously beat with a spoon or electric mixer for two minutes.
2
Sift together 2 cups of flour and rest of dry ingredients. Stir into oil mixture alternately with the juice.
3
Sift remaining cup of flour over combined fruits and nuts. Pour batter over fruit and mix.
4
Line 2 greased loaf pans with paper. Pour batter into pans. Place a pan of water on the lower rack of the oven.
5
Bake cakes for 2½ to 3 hours in a slow oven (275 degrees). *Mine took 2½ hours to bake*
6
Cool on racks without removing the paper. When cool, remove paper and seal in a covered container in a cool place to ripen.
Wesson’s Famous Fruit Cake
We mostly picked this because of the “famous” in the name. I assumed this meant that this recipe had been around for some time!
This was a really easy cake to put together. Actually, it wasn’t so much as a cake as a quick bread, like banana bread.
It even looks like banana bread batter! Except for the red and green cherries.
The biggest difference between this and banana bread was the incredibly long cooking time, similar to the long cooking time in our previous adventures into fruit cake (pork cake!).
But all-in-all, this bread came together quickly, smelled good while baking and looked pretty festive.
I don’t even mind the cherries that much!
“This is good. Tastes like a fruit and nut cake.”
The Verdict: Good
From The Testing Notes:
Good fruit and nut flavor. Not too moist, but not dry either. Cake itself is good, but not very spicy. Would benefit from extra spices and some rum or brandy! Good overall-would be very tasty as a breakfast bread.
FAQs
The fruit cake is commonly known as a Christmas Cake in Canada and eaten during the Christmas season. Rarely is it seen during other times of the year. The Canadian fruit cake is similar in style to the UK version, as it is in most Commonwealth countries.
What is the name of the fruit cake that is traditionally made in Germany during Christmas? ›
In Germany, Stollen, a traditional German fruitcake, is popular. During the Christmas season, it's also called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen.
What type of cake is traditionally eaten at Christmas time? ›
Even though this cake is sometimes referred to as a Christmas “pudding”, Christmas cake is a type of cake. More specifically, it is a type of fruitcake covered with thick layers of icing with candied or dried fruits, nuts, and spices, and usually contains warming spirits like brandy, wine, rum, or cognac.
How do you eat Christmas fruit cake? ›
Slathered with a bit of butter or paired with a slice of very sharp cheddar, this makes an excellent midday treat. Fruitcake also gets a second life crumbled over ice cream. We love the chewy bites paired with the melting ice cream. The ice cream also helps mellow the intense flavor of the fruitcake.
What two ingredients help fruitcake last longer? ›
Fruitcake lasts longer than most other cakes because it is filled with nuts and candied fruit. It will last even longer if you sprinkle it with a spirit like brandy.
Why was fruitcake outlawed? ›
At first, the cakes were mainly filled with nuts. When sugar became more widely available, candied preserved fruits were added. The addition of sugar made the dessert so “sinfully rich” that the church briefly banned fruitcake in the 1700s.
What's the difference between a fruit cake and a Christmas cake? ›
Christmas cakes are also commonly made with pudding while a fruit cake uses butter, however there are Christmas cake recipes that do contain butter. The traditional Scottish Christmas cake, also known as the Whisky Dundee, is very popular. It is a light crumbly cake with currants, raisins, cherries and Scotch whisky.
What is the name of the fruit cake in Europe? ›
In Germany, fruitcakes (known as Stollen) don't quite resemble their American counterparts. Fruitcake vs. Stollen: Flattened with a chewy crust, Stollen is often baked more like a traditional loaf of sourdough bread.
What are two traditional Christmas cakes in Italy? ›
The holidays in Italy wouldn't be complete without panettoni and pandori: they are as iconic as a tree, wreath, or mistletoe in other cultures. Traditionally, Italians give the festively wrapped cakes as gifts, as they symbolize luck and prosperity through the New Year.
What do British call fruitcakes? ›
Did you know that the of eating fruitcake around the holidays stemmed from Great Britain? The traditional Christmas dessert isn't at all similar to the candied peel and citron cakes you might think of when “fruitcake” is mentioned. Called Christmas cake or plum cake in Great Britain, the dessert dates to Roman times!
Some say you should make your Christmas cake 6 weeks before eating, but the advice given on Nigella.com is that 12 weeks before is the optimum time to get baking. Your Christmas cake should be fed every 4 to 6 weeks but in the meantime, after baking, it should be stored away in a secure, air tight container.
What alcohol is good for fruit cake? ›
Other good choices of booze include brandy, rum, or whiskey. Feel free to use one or a mix of these to best complement your fruitcake. Once you've chosen the liquor, bake the cake, poke holes throughout the whole thing, and pour a few tablespoons of the alcohol over it. Or, you can brush the cake with the alcohol.
What is the name of the Christmas fruit cake? ›
Panettone is a Milanese sweet bread loaf (widely available throughout Italy and in many other countries), served around Christmas, which is traditionally filled with dried and candied fruits, with a bread loaf consistency.
Why is my Christmas fruit cake dry? ›
The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.
Which rum is best for fruit cake? ›
Spiced Rum: Spiced rum has hints of ginger, cinnamon and allspice making it ideal for this festive fruit cake. Gold rum can also be used in place of spiced rum.
Is fruit cake an American thing? ›
Like many of the baked sweets we now enjoy in America, we can trace the origins of fruitcake back to Europe. In fact, the first fruitcake recipe on record dates all the way back to Ancient Rome!
What is the origin of the fruitcake at Christmas? ›
The modern fruitcake was created as a way to deal with the abundance of sugar-laced fruit and, by the early 19th century, the typical recipe was full of citrus peel, pineapples, plums, dates, pears, and cherries.by the late 1800s, the fruitcake was gifted in decorative tins, becoming a holiday staple with Christmas and ...
Do people eat fruit cake on Christmas? ›
Fruitcake is a holiday staple, even though it's often the butt of jokes. Fruitcake dates back to the ancient Romans, who mashed up barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and raisins and held it together with honey. It gained popularity as a dish for special occasions in the 18th and 19th centuries.
What is Christmas cake in Japan? ›
Utterly distinct from the fruity, boozey density of British Christmas cake, Japanese Christmas cake, or 'kurisumasu keki,' is a light sponge cake, covered in a layer of whipped cream and decorated with ripe strawberries. A delicious alternative dessert to serve up on Christmas day, and so easy to make as well.
AuthorRetroRuth
