Need an advice about fruitcake ingredients

[Bakemehappy]

When I was a kid I love having a fruit cake on Christmas day. It is not a complete celebration without it. What got me intrigued and addicted is that strange taste which I think could be because of the alcohol ingredient. I am planning to make one this Christmas but I am not quite sure if that is indeed an alcohol, if so what could it be? Is that a rhum or whisky? The other question is what sort of fruits do you love on your fruit cake?

 

[welsh dragon]

Im not a love of fruit cake, but my mother used to use, brandy, or rum on her christmas cakes. And she would use a lot. People who partook od some cake had to be careful about drinking and driving

my mother always uses mixed fruit, raisons, sultanas mixed peel etc.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

What do you mean baking? It is already baked....

As for alcohol I believe it is usually Brandy or Rum that is added, though I have never seen the need, nor had the desire to add alcohol to a fruit cake and as for the fruit, add what you want, leave out what you don't like. I use sultanas and raisins (both soaked overnight in dry apple juice) sour cherries and a few glace cherries, then also add nuts - hazelnuts, almonds, ground almonds, and any other nuts I fancy...

PS - I voted I can not wait, but the truth is I have not waited. The cake is already baked!

 

[kgord]

I made fruitcake once. The ingredients are quite expensive, especially in today's economy. It just seems like not that many people really like fruitcake. I would hate to make a fruitcake after spending so much money on it, and I would be the only one eating i! Yes, as Sat Nav says I think brandy or rum is traditonal.

 

[Morning Glory]

Its traditional to 'feed' the cake with alcohol once baked. You pierce it with a skewer in several places and pour alcohol over the top. Some people make the cake months ahead and 'feed' it every few weeks. Use any darkish spirit you fancy! Whisky, Bourbon, Brandy, Rum. Not vodka or Gin! At least I don't think so, but @classic33 might have other ideas!

 

[Morning Glory]

I would vote, but I don't really fit any of the options. The problem I have is no-one in my house particularly likes it (otherwise I'd bake one!). I quite like it but as I'm on a rather permanent diet I can't eat a whole cake.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I quite like it but as I'm on a rather permanent diet I can't eat a whole cake.

I only like the one I make, and yes the ingredients are expensive. But once upon a time we used to make a double cake that took 12 hours to cook in the over (very low heat) and we would eat it between the 2 of us whilst on holiday camping and winter mountaineering. We used to burn off so many calories that the cake was the least of our problems, other than the shear weight of it! It weighed a ton because I hate fruit cake that is sponge with spots of fruit in it. If you have a fruit cake, then it should be solid fruit and the result is, well bliss but calorie laden. The only saving grave is the freezer. It freezes really well and if you cut it up into portion or diet portion slices/pieces first...

 

[welsh dragon]

I havnt voted as I am not/havnt made one this year. My sons partner has made one for me though so Mr WD will be a happy bunny.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

Every year when Christmas Day is coming I always plan to bake a fruitcake but up to now I do not have the list of the right ingredients and the right and easy recipe that is tested already. I knew that the ingredients are expensive but I want to experience baking it on my own. Because every year we are just buying a fruitcake in a bakeshop because our festive foods is not complete without having this fruitcake in our dining table.

 

[Caribbean girl]

Although I love fruit cake, I have never baked one myself. I used to observe my mother baking one each year. In fact, she used to make a mixture which would yield about 3 cakes in all - one large one and 2 medium-sized ones. The main fruit used were prunes, raisins and peel. Whisky was what she would pour over it when it was finished.

These days, a lot of people here tend to buy these cakes ready-done from the supermarket. This became the popular thing to do about 10 or so years ago. However, there are still some people who prefer to bake their own cakes.

 

[sidevalve]

Not sure why it should be very expensive - fruit - not all that dear for one cake, flour a few eggs and some butter is about it really. Baking your own also allows you to leave out the fruits you don't like [we avoid the candid peel].The alcohol evaporates off after a while so the actual content in a piece of cake is minimal [unless you eat it swimming in a bowlful of the stuff]. We tend to 'feed' ours with a small shot glass of whisky every week [yep already baked] up until Christmas.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Not sure why it should be very expensive - fruit - not all that dear for one cake, flour a few eggs and some butter is about it really. Baking your own also allows you to leave out the fruits you don't like [we avoid the candid peel].The alcohol evaporates off after a while so the actual content in a piece of cake is minimal [unless you eat it swimming in a bowlful of the stuff]. We tend to 'feed' ours with a small shot glass of whisky every week [yep already baked] up until Christmas.

Theses are the ingredients for my Christmas cake (posted on here a couple of years ago). We tend to buy organic where we can for this cake because it is a one off and for Christmas and well, it is pricy compared to buying an off the shelf cake.

875g raisins - Waitrose Organic Raisins £1.76 per 375g pack (link not available) £5.28
875g sultanas - Waitrose Organic Sultanas £1.76 per 375g pack (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=25463) £5.28
200g glace cherries (the dark natural ones) - Waitrose Cook's Glace Cherries £2.25 per 200g pack (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=55121) £2.25
300g sour cherries (best ones I have found are from Sainsbury's) - Sainsbury's Dried Cherries £1.80 per 75g £7.20
100g chopped roasted hazelnuts - Waitrose Roasted Chopped Hazelnuts £2.25 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=49761) £2.25
100g blanched whole hazelnuts - Waitrose Blanched Hazelnuts £2.25 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=3057) £2.25
100g blanched almonds - Waitrose Blanched Almonds £1.55 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=3055) £1.55
100g ground almonds - Waitrose Ground Almonds £1.35 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=3047) £1.35
175g plain wholemeal flour - Waitrose Duchy Organic stoneground plain wholemeal flour £1.99 per 1.5kg (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=2742) £0.23
175g softened butter - Pure Dairy Free Sunflower Marg £1.50 per 500g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=19385) £0.52
90g molasses sugar - Billingtons Molasses Sugar £1.17 per 500g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=4117) £0.21
90g dark brown soft - Waitrose dark brown muscovado sugar £1.40 per 500g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=4111) £0.25
2 tbsp black molasses (treacle is too sweet, so don't be tempted) - Meridian Blackstrap Molasses £2.99 per 740g jar - guessing at maybe £0.25
5 largish eggs - Waitrose Organic Freerange Eggs £2.40 per 6 (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=6974) £2.40
1 large or 2 small unwaxed lemons – rind and juice of. - Waitrose Essentials Unwaxed lemons £1.50 per pack of 4 (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=45401) £1.50
1 bottle dry apple juice (it is essential it is dry not sweet apple juice) - Watergull Orchards Bramley & Cox apple juice £2.55 per 750ml bottle (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=14801) £2.55
1 tsp mixed spices (store cupboard replaced every other year) £1.79 per pack (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=27753) £0.90

So I have divided the costs out as per store cupboard items such as flour, butter/marg sugar, etc.... and I get a tad under £36 (£35.97) before I have cooked it. Now I know my cake is a large cake, it has a lot of fruit and nuts in it and weighs around 3kg or so, probably more because of the bottle of apple juice (we have been known to use a good quality cider from somerset if we are down there at the right time), the closest cake I can find in Waitrose (our normal supermarket) is their 1.3kg cake (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=451982) which when not on special offer is £15



Nope, its not the expensive really is it?




That is about 70% of my weekly shopping bill in Waitrose for 2 people...

 

[Morning Glory]

Theses are the ingredients for my Christmas cake (posted on here a couple of years ago). We tend to buy organic where we can for this cake because it is a one off and for Christmas and well, it is pricy compared to buying an off the shelf cake.

875g raisins - Waitrose Organic Raisins £1.76 per 375g pack (link not available) £5.28
875g sultanas - Waitrose Organic Sultanas £1.76 per 375g pack (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=25463) £5.28
200g glace cherries (the dark natural ones) - Waitrose Cook's Glace Cherries £2.25 per 200g pack (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=55121) £2.25
300g sour cherries (best ones I have found are from Sainsbury's) - Sainsbury's Dried Cherries £1.80 per 75g £7.20
100g chopped roasted hazelnuts - Waitrose Roasted Chopped Hazelnuts £2.25 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=49761) £2.25
100g blanched whole hazelnuts - Waitrose Blanched Hazelnuts £2.25 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=3057) £2.25
100g blanched almonds - Waitrose Blanched Almonds £1.55 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=3055) £1.55
100g ground almonds - Waitrose Ground Almonds £1.35 per 100g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=3047) £1.35
175g plain wholemeal flour - Waitrose Duchy Organic stoneground plain wholemeal flour £1.99 per 1.5kg (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=2742) £0.23
175g softened butter - Pure Dairy Free Sunflower Marg £1.50 per 500g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=19385) £0.52
90g molasses sugar - Billingtons Molasses Sugar £1.17 per 500g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=4117) £0.21
90g dark brown soft - Waitrose dark brown muscovado sugar £1.40 per 500g (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=4111) £0.25
2 tbsp black molasses (treacle is too sweet, so don't be tempted) - Meridian Blackstrap Molasses £2.99 per 740g jar - guessing at maybe £0.25
5 largish eggs - Waitrose Organic Freerange Eggs £2.40 per 6 (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=6974) £2.40
1 large or 2 small unwaxed lemons – rind and juice of. - Waitrose Essentials Unwaxed lemons £1.50 per pack of 4 (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=45401) £1.50
1 bottle dry apple juice (it is essential it is dry not sweet apple juice) - Watergull Orchards Bramley & Cox apple juice £2.55 per 750ml bottle (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=14801) £2.55
1 tsp mixed spices (store cupboard replaced every other year) £1.79 per pack (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=27753) £0.90

So I have divided the costs out as per store cupboard items such as flour, butter/marg sugar, etc.... and I get a tad under £36 (£35.97) before I have cooked it. Now I know my cake is a large cake, it has a lot of fruit and nuts in it and weighs around 3kg or so, probably more because of the bottle of apple juice (we have been known to use a good quality cider from somerset if we are down there at the right time), the closest cake I can find in Waitrose (our normal supermarket) is their 1.3kg cake (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=451982) which when not on special offer is £15



Nope, its not the expensive really is it?




That is about 70% of my weekly shopping bill in Waitrose for 2 people...

View attachment 2013

Extraordinary! Have you tried shopping at Aldi? You could save a lot on some of these ingredients although some of the specialist ingredients aren't stocked by them.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Extraordinary! Have you tried shopping at Aldi? You could save a lot on some of these ingredients although some of the specialist ingredients aren't stocked by them.

Organic? and Free Range for the eggs.
I rarely spend more than £60 on all of my weekly shopping (not just groceries) for 2 people at Waitrose which I didn't think was that bad actually, plus I can get virtually all of my specialist ingredients without having to do elsewhere which for me in a wheelchair right now is essential. Even getting those ingredients from Sainsbury's (staying with organic and/or free range) it is still over £30.

 

[Lullabelle]

When we were kids my dad used to make a fruit cake, no alcohol because we were kids and mum didn't drink. Since I have been an adult I haven't had one but last year we asked dad to make one for Christmas day tea, I had forgotten how good it tasted, we have asked for another this year