My husband and I were talking the other day about goofy holiday gifts, and of course the ubiquitous fruitcake was mentioned.  All my life, I remember hearing and seeing about these weird concoctions, but I don’t know if I have ever actually tasted one.  Fruitcakes are synonymous with bad gifts, and if you don’t like someone, you can just buy them a fruitcake and be done with it.  What I want to know is, is there such thing as a tasty fruitcake?

My mom had a recipe and she insisted it was delicious.  It looked so gross I never could muster up the courage to try it.  Hers, she swore, was better because it never got hard.  I can see that as being a benefit, I suppose.  I don’t know what her gift recipients thought, but she made those darned things every single year, vehemently insisting each year that they were delicious and not like the rest.

Judging by the 2,093 results for “fruitcake” on Amazon, there must be some demand for the funky little things.  What I found most surprising, however, was that many of the top results have very high ratings.  Several ratings were titled, “Best Fruitcake Ever”, with one “Almost Perfect” even. 

While it boggles my mind that there is still a market for fruitcake, and even more so that people seem to enjoy them, I suppose the time may have come for me to take a deep breath, plug my nose, and shovel a piece down my throat.

Do you have a good fruitcake recipe?