Christmas fruit cake? [Food/Vendor]

2011 Dec 16
I normally buy a West Indian fruit cake from Pat's Sweet Temptations at the Carp Christmas Market, but no luck this year since we've been out of town. So foodies, any other fruit cakes to be recommended, preferably with a healthy dose of rum, bourbon or brandy???

2011 Dec 16
I saw that Chez Edgar had some. Also, this is the last Christmas market at Lansdowne on Sunday, a number of vendors had fruit cake. You could buy one and add your own liquor?

2011 Dec 16
No solid recommendation on where you could find a good one, sorry, but:
I know many dread receiving fruit cakes at Christmas but a tip: most fruit cakes (Panettone too)* can be...enhanced with a good dousing of liquor.

* everything?? :)


2011 Dec 16
Johanna The French Baker sells fruitcakes that are pretty boozey if I recall although it's been a couple of years since I bought one of their cakes. They are very moist though so if they are not boozey enough you could always add your own booze and the cake would absorb it very well.

Swiss Pastries also sells fruitcakes. Not sure about pouring booze over it but it might taste nice dunked in something - maybe a dessert wine of sorts?

La Bottega in the Byward Market and Nicastros on Merivale sells panettones and pandoros at this time of year and they taste nice dunked in a glass of wine.

I would also give a +1 the the Lansdowne Christmas Market.

AMR I would have to agree pretty well everything can be enhanced with a good dousing of liquor-;)

2011 Dec 16
I got a couple of those long, strip cakes with pecans on top at Loblaws. Then I opened them up, put them into a container and poured a whole bottle of my rum vanilla in and let it sit. Every morning I turned them so a different face was in the rum vanilla and on the third face it was all soaked in. Then I wrapped them in plastic, then in foil and put them in the refrigerator where they've been ever since. I plan to open that delightful package on Christmas morning to get them ready for friends who are coming over for dinner. It should be delicious.

What can't be improved with a good 100 ml of rum?

2011 Dec 16
Good fruitcake is not that difficult to make, if a bit time consuming and expensive. I make it every year with brandy and red wine filling out the liquor component, and there is nothing better than a couple of slices of it with a glass of pineaut des charentes.

2011 Dec 18
Swiss pastries one is good- it has a lot of fruit in it and quite moist.
you can always buy a small slice if they have them to try in case you do not like their cake.
I usually put some liquor on their cake, but plain it is good too.
Swiss pastries also has a marzipan topped cake.

Alex's bakery had some fruitcake on Saturday.
There was just 2 left when I was there.
I bought one- they look pretty small and at home weighted the thing and it is 300 grams and cost $13.
Was told they put Brandy on it- did not taste tons of liquor though.
The cake is a bit dry and has a lot of small currants in it, some orange peel and almonds.
The top of the cake has a few candied cherries, a few macadamia nuts and one walnut on the top.
The nuts were glazed with some kind of syrup.
the cake is good, but would be better if it was less dry and had more variety of fruit in it.
Still, it is tasty.

Alex's bakery also had some Stollen cakes for $10.
I am trying to pick one up this week...hopefully.

Loblaws fruitcake would be my last choice- there is too many ingredients in there I do not want to eat: those chemical sounding things like propylene glycol and whatever.

2011 Dec 19
Prettytasty - I guarantee any bought fruit cake will require a fresh dose of the liquor of your choice. Do not underestimate the power of booze in reviving a dry fruit cake.

2011 Dec 19
I did not put any liquor on it yet- I did eat 2 small slivers plain and it was good.
But I'm sure liquor will be better.
I also do not think the fruitcake from Alex's bakery is very "old" as I did not see them last week (I always get something to eat there most Saturdays).

2011 Dec 19
Slightly off topic but I am on the hunt for a good plum pudding.
Used to get mine at The Cake Shop, but since they closed I can't find one that is locally made.
They used to steam their puddings for 8 hours so all we had to do was warm it up and serve with a nice brandy sauce.
So any recomendations would be useful. I don't want a supermarket pudding.
Made own fruit mince pies this year, as once again no Cake Shop.!

2011 Dec 19
Check Thyme & Again, I picked one up there last year with a container of brandy sauce.

2011 Dec 19
Thanks will go down tomorrow. Hope they are pre steamed as I don't have a lot of room on my little stove.

2011 Dec 20
The Piggy Market has plum pudding - definitely local too.

2011 Dec 21
I have a Christmas pudding that I made last December, I have been feeding it rum all year and will be steaming it on Christmas Day for the family. I've never done one for this long before, it's either going to be spectacularly good or absolutely horrible.

2011 Dec 21
You can never ruin a pudding with to much booze!!!
Enjoy eating !!!

2011 Dec 21
In Scotland we used to slice the leftover pudding and fry in butter then add a fried egg and bacon on top and eat on boxing day for breakfast !
Scots love anything boozey even for breakfast!!

2011 Dec 22
OMG sugarsugar, I have one of Art-is-in's Buche Noel on order for Christmas Dessert, but now I need to buy a plum pudding just so I can have it for boxing day breakfast.

2011 Dec 22
If booze doesn't fix anything then frying it in butter and adding bacon must be the other answer. Booze, bacon, and butter are the three b's of happiness! Sorry to go off-topic but I couldn't resist. Back to whatever you were doing . . .