Christmas Fruitcake

Fruitcake.  You either love it or you hate it.  

While fruitcake is often the dreaded Christmas gift and the butt of bad jokes, I think this recipe might change the perspective of fruitcake haters!  This fruitcake is not baked so you don't have to worry about burning anything.   It looks difficult, but is really easy to make.  Ingredients are typically easy to find with all the holiday baking goodies at the local grocery.

Holiday time often triggers childhood memories.   This year it was the memory of making fruitcake with mom at the kitchen table in this huge pan.  It was a treat because it requires a lot of ingredients that are seasonal, such as candied fruit and combined with nuts, dates, raisins, etc. it becomes quite expensive to make.  Growing up, we had this for many years and the first year we didn't have it, I remember mom saying that the ingredients cost too much. 

This week I set out on a mission to find my mother's fruitcake recipe and recreate some memories.  This fruitcake doesn't contain any spirits nor is it baked, but rather made with a prebaked spice cake that gets crumbled up and mixed with all sort of goodies and packed into a 9x13 pan.  I was able to get all the ingredients at my local Walmart with the exception of candied red cherries.  I called and visited multiple stores in a two county area and no one had them!  Well, I was not about to have my plans derailed!  I bought some maraschino cherries and made the candied red cherries myself!

I learned that the recipe mom used is a Betty Crocker Recipe that originated in 1957 and was called Mystery Fruitcake.  I took a few liberties with the recipe, making some modifications to the quantity of some of the ingredients to avoid waste.  I also added a container of candied pineapple as well.

Give this recipe a try and create some new memories and start a new tradition!

Christmas Fruitcake

Ingredients:

1 package Betty Crocker Super Moist Spice cake mix
1 package Betty Crocker Fluffy White frosting mix (substitute 1 can if boxed isn't available)
1 32 ounce container of candied mixed fruit
1 small container of red candied cherries
1 small container of green candied cherries
1 small container of candied pineapple
1 1/2 cups seedless raisins (I used golden)
2 cups cup of pitted dates
1 pound package of pecan halves

Instructions:

Bake the spice cake mix per the package instructions.

Cool the cake and crumble it into a very very large bowl or pan.  I used the largest crockery bowl I had for this and my memory is we used a large graniteware roaster when I was a kid. 

If you cannot find a spice cake mix you can add the following to a white or yellow cake mix.

    1 tsp. ground cinnamon

    1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

    1/4 tsp. ground ginger

    1/4 tsp allspice or cloves

Add all of the fruit and nuts to the crumbled cake mixture.

With a very large metal or wooden spoon, mix well.

If you find using your hands is easier, just cover them with some gloves or plastic bags and go for it!

Once the cake crumbles, fruit and nuts are mixed well, add the frosting and continue to mix until thoroughly blended.

Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil or parchment (I used foil).

Lightly grease the lining with a PAM or similar product.

Pack the cake mixture firmly into the pan.

Cover and chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating.