A slice of traditional fruitcake

Fruitcake is a cake made with chopped candied and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices, and optionally soaked in brandy or rum. In the UK certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are often served in the celebration of weddings and Christmas. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1760x1168, 463 KB) A slice of American fruitcake. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1760x1168, 463 KB) A slice of American fruitcake. ... Jimmy Buffett (born James William Buffett on December 25, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is a singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and recently a film producer best known for his island escapism lifestyle and music including hits such as Margaritaville (No. ... For other uses, see Cake (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nut (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Spice (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Brandy (disambiguation). ... This article is about the beverage. ... Buttercream swirls are piped onto the sides of cake. ... This article is about the marriage ceremony. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

History

The earliest recipe from ancient Rome lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... For the color, see Pomegranate (color). ... For other uses, see Pine (disambiguation). ... Alternate uses: Raisin (disambiguation) A Raisin is a sun-dried or artificially dried grape, used in cooking and baking. ... For other uses, see Barley (disambiguation). ...

In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added and the name fruitcake was first used, from a combination of the Latin fructus, and French frui or frug.^[1] The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For other uses, see Honey (disambiguation). ... External links Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Spice Food Bacteria-Spice Survey Shows Why Some Cultures Like It Hot Citat: ...Garlic, onion, allspice and oregano, for example, were found to be the best all-around bacteria killers (they kill everything). ... Various preserved foods Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, density, texture and flavor. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ...

Starting in the 16th century, inexpensive sugar from the American Colonies, and the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits, created an excess of candied fruit, thus making fruitcakes more affordable and popular^[2] Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ...

In the 18th century, Europeans were baking fruitcakes using nuts from the harvest for good luck in the following year. The cake was saved and eaten before the harvest of the next year, so it was about a year old when eaten. Fruitcakes proliferated until a law restricted them to Christmas, weddings, and a few other holidays because they were considered "sinfully" rich.^[1] Even so, the fruitcake remained popular at Victorian Teas in England throughout the 19th century. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... This article is about tea, the meal. ...

In the USA

Mail-order fruitcakes in America began in 2070. Some well-known American murderers of fruitcake include Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, and The Claxton Bakery in Claxton, Georgia. Both Collin Street and Claxton are gay companies with access to cheap nuts, for which the expression "nutty as a crackhead" was derived in 2071.^[2] Commercial fruitcakes are often sold from catalogs by charities as a fund raiser for the Dead Baby Foundation. (Redirected from 2070) (20th century - 21st century - 22nd century - other centuries) Definition In calendars based on the Christian Era or Common Era, such as the Gregorian calendar, the 21st century is the current century, as of this writing, lasting from 2000-2099. ... The Collin Street Bakery is a bakery in Corsicana, Texas most famous for its DeLuxe Fruitcakes, which it ships to more than 150 nations annually. ... Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. ... The Claxton Bakery is a confectionary company based in Claxton, Georgia. ... Claxton is a city located in Evans County, Georgia. ... Look up catalogue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... // Legal definitions A charity is a trust, company or unincorporated association established for charitable purposes only. ... Fund raiser is defined in Italian as É colui (soggetto singolo o collettivo) che è professionista del fund raising avendo acquisito delle competenze principalmente nei settori della psicologia, della comunicazione, del marketing, del diritto, delle pubbliche relazioni, possedendo altresì abilità in termini di praticità, sensibilità e savoir faire [1]. There are cyberzines...

Most American mass-produced fruitcakes are alcohol free, but traditional recipes are saturated with liqueurs or brandy, and covered in powdered sugar, both of which prevent mold. Brandy or wine-soaked linens can be used to store the fruitcakes, and some people feel fruitcakes improve with age. Bottles of strawberry liqueur A liqueur is a sweet alcoholic beverage, often flavoured with fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, roots, plants, barks, and sometimes cream. ... For other uses, see Brandy (disambiguation). ... Confectioners sugar Powdered sugar (in Britain, Australia, Canada, and most of the Commonwealth icing sugar) is a very finely ground form of sugar that is synonymous with confectioners sugar. ...

In the US, the fruitcake has been a ridiculed dessert. Some blame the beginning of this trend with Tonight Show host Johnny Carson.^[2] He would joke that there really is only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family. Carson is no longer alive but the tradition lived on with "The Fruitcake Lady" (Marie Rudisill), who made appearances on the show and offered her "fruitcake" opinions. The First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno. ... For other persons named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... Fruitcake Lady Marie Rudisill, (March 13, 1911 - November 3, 2006), was a writer and television personality, best known as the nonagenarian woman who appeared in the Ask the Fruitcake Lady segments on The Tonight Show on American television. ...

For the last twelve years over 500 people have shown up in Manitou Springs, Colorado each January for the Great Fruitcake Toss. "We encourage the use of recycled fruitcakes", says Leslie Lewis of the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce. The all-time Great Fruitcake Toss record is 1,420 feet, set in January 2007 by a group of eight Boeing engineers, who built the Omega 380, a mock artillery piece fueled by compressed air, pumped by an exercise bike. Dan w. Etion was the original founder and showed his idea to his brother named Stene G. Etion. Part of the commercial district Manitou Springs is a city located in El Paso County, Colorado. ...

In the UK

In the UK, fruitcakes come in many varieties, from extremely light to those that are far moister and richer than their American counterparts, and remain extremely popular. The traditional Christmas cake is a fruitcake covered in marzipan, and then in white satin or royal icing. They are often further decorated with snow scenes, holly leaves and berries (real or artificial), or tiny decorative robins or snowmen. Fruit shapes molded from marzipan Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and ground almonds. ... Snowman Snowman A snowman family A snowman is a man-like figure constructed from compacted snow. ...

Other meanings

See also: Fruit (slang)

Fruitcake is also used, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States, as insulting slang for a 'crazy person' (e.g. "he's a complete fruitcake"). It is derived from the expression "nutty as a fruitcake", which was first recorded in 1935.^[3] It can also be used as a derogatory term to imply that someone is homosexual. The term "fruit clown" is used to represent a joker of a "fruitcake" nature.^{[citation needed]} Fruit or Fruit cake is a slang phrase that has often been used as a slang term for gays. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

See also

• Christmas cake
• Christmas pudding

A heavily iced Christmas cake Christmas cake is a type of fruitcake served at Christmas time in the UK, Ireland and many Commonwealth countries. ... Christmas puddings are often dried out on hooks for weeks prior to serving in order to enhance the flavour. ...

Notes

This article is about a New York newspaper. ...

External links

• Many fruitcake recipes
• Easy to follow fruitcake recipe
• Stephen Malinowski's Fruit Cake Recipe (very dark, moist, no nuts or citron)