Fruitcake recipe and blueberry question

[pinkduck08]

So, I've googled my little heart out and still can't find exactly what I need. My grandmother always made home-made fruitcake for my mom. She's gone now, and my grandfather just died a few months ago. I thought it would be a really great Christmas gift to make one for her like my grandmother did. The problem here is, she never wrote down

Comments

[cheeseydreams]

RE: the Vanilla, you may have to go to a Whole foods/trader joes/wild harvest or a similar specialty type store to find the bean. If you don't have any of those at your disposal, you can make it with vanilla extract with a ratio of 1 teaspoon of vanilla per cup of sugar.

By dehydrated do you mean dried? You may also be able to find them at the same store.

I can't help you with the fruitcake recipe though, I've never eaten it nor made it.

[pinkduck08]

Unfortunately the closest Whole Foods/ TJ's/etc. to me is about a 2 hour drive, which is why I'm wondering about where to find things.

The only place I've found dried blueberries or other fruit so far that won't cost me dearly in gas is online, and they are majorly expensive. Too expensive for an inexpensive gift.

Thanks for the help on the sugar! That is definitely going to help.

[cheeseydreams]

Ahh, maybe if it's easier, put everything together for the blueberry scones except the blueberries and make a note that they need to be added. That way you don't have to spend money on gas or spend time thawing and dehydrating the blueberries when he could just go to the supermarket and get some frozen ones to add.

[pinkduck08]

That might work. He does have a whole foods by him, so I'm sure he would be able to get them easier than I can.

Thank you :)

[tisiphone]

Pure vanilla won't be good in a recipe jar - you want to use the vanilla sugar because it will be dry and won't goop up your dry ingredients. They're usually sold by the one, in a little test tube thing near the spices.

For dehydrated blueberries, you can often find them in natural food stores, near the raisins and nuts and things. They're expensive, but they're commonly used as a replacement for raisins in backpacking snack mixes and things. You may be able to find a vanilla bean there too, come to think of it.

[pinkduck08]

Alas, no natural food stores, here. I was thinking of combining the pure vanilla and the sugar, not just adding the pure vanilla to the jar.

I might just have to find another recipe :/

[tisiphone]

How much time have you got? I think you might be able to get both online, but shipping would be expensive.

[pinkduck08]

I've found them online, but yes, very expensive. I was hoping to spend minimal money, because it's only part of the gift. I hate giving just a gift card, so the gift card is going to be hidden in the recipe envelope.

[nmissi]

Spice Islands sells jars of vanilla pods in the spices section of the Meijer's by me here in Louisville. Not with fresh spices, but literally sitting on the shelf next to the dried ones.

Onto the subject of my post. I was just googling around to see what other folks were writing about their fruitcakes- it's so hard to find people saying NICE things about my favorite holiday food- and I tripped over this post. I felt compelled to join to help out on the fruitcake question. It's nice to meet everyone! My fruitcakes are currently baking in the oven behind me, making the whole house smell like Christmas.

Firstly- yes, you can candy your own fruit, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's pricey, difficult and messy. Phone your local smaller grocers and ask if they've got any fruitcake mix left. Larger grocers, like Meijer's and Kroger's have probably already sold out of their stash, but you could try them as well.

[pinkduck08]

You're my hero! Thank you! This actually sounds like what she was describing. How long will it last in the foil? Should I store it in the fridge or in a vented tupperware? I'm trying to figure out now when I should make it.

And I definitely agree with you on the no nice words on fruitcake. Everyone seems to think they're horrible. I've never tried one, tbh, but if my mom likes it, it's worth a shot. Also, the one my dad bought a few years ago, thinking it would be amazing, she said was horrible, so that might lend to the 'fruitcake is nasty' trend.

[nmissi]

Happy to help out; I'm always glad to introduce a new friend to my mamau's fruitcake.

I can't really say how long it will last; I have trouble keeping ours on hand. My little six-person family can devour a fruitcake in two or three days. I've read about people wrapping them in liquor-soaked cheesecloth to preserve them, but we've never needed to. I have baked them three or four days ahead to take to a party and they were fine when cut.

Those ones you buy in the grocery are too cheap, I think that's why people think fruitcake is nasty. It can't be any good if it costs so little; I know I've got probably close to fifty dollars in ingredients in the batch I'm baking right now. I suspect that, instead of butter, those cakes use shortning, and who knows what kind of fruit they're using. Probably artificial flavorings and god knows what else, too. Real fruitcake has a deep, spicy flavor, unlike other "sweets" we are used to. More savory, I guess. And very rich and filling; you'll want to cut it in tiny slices. Happy eating!

[pinkduck08]

I'm very excited now. I'll probably have to wait until my next paycheck to buy it all, but it'll be worth it.

I've also noticed most of those are mostly cake with a few pieces of fruit. As dense as this cake sounds from the ingredients, I'm guessing it wouldn't be so good on it's own.

Perhaps I can persuade my mother-in-law with it, too. I was told the last time someone gave her a fruitcake she threw it out without even opening it. That would take care of a present for her as well.

[bercilakslady]

Take a look here :http://browngirl.livejournal.com/1340453.html#cutid1

browngirl is a master fruitcake baker, and she lists many different recipes that she's used over the past year. She sent me a sampler last year, and everything was fabulous.