National Fruitcake Day

The National Fruitcake Day is celebrated every 27^th of December each year. This day gives recognition to fruitcake – everyone’s favorite cake variety. Fruitcake is traditionally made with dried fruits, chopped candies, and spices, and it is sometimes soaked in spirit. Fruitcake had also been a traditional gift during the holiday seasons. If you are a fan of fruitcakes or if you want to make some to be given as gifts for the holidays, then you should not miss out on the celebration of National Fruitcake Day.

About the National Fruitcake Day

During the National Fruitcake Day, people conduct various activities that let them achieve the objectives or purposes of the celebration. For one, people try to make their own fruitcakes at home. Other people prefer to buy some fruitcakes from the bakery or pastry shop. People also shout out on social media how they are participating in the celebration of the event.

National Fruitcake Day History

The origin of fruitcakes can be traced back in to ancient Rome. The earliest known recipe for fruitcake included ingredients such as barley mash, raisins, pine nuts, and pomegranate seed. Recipes from the middle ages added preserved fruits, spices, and honey into the fruitcake. In general, the recipe for fruitcake varies from one country to another, depending on the available ingredients and the tradition of making them.

During the 16^th century, fruitcakes became more accessible and affordable when sugar became abundant and when sugar was used to preserve fruits. Americans love to make their fruitcakes with abundant nuts and fruits. In 1913, mail-order fruitcake became a hit. Charities also started selling fruitcakes for their fundraising activities. During 1935, the popular expression “nutty as a fruitcake” was first coined. This came after various bakeries included tons of nuts in their fruitcake – cheap nuts. There are some fruitcakes soaked in brandy or liqueur.

With limited knowledge about the origins of fruitcake, even less is known about the history of the National Fruitcake Day. We don’t know when, where, and how it began. We also don’t have a clue as to who founded it. But still, we can make a good guess as to why such event was established in the first place. Perhaps a person or a group of people thought that fruitcakes are much loved by the people. They must have then thought that it deserves a spot in the list of food holidays celebrated every year.

Dates

As mentioned earlier, National Fruitcake Day is celebrated every 27^th of December each year.

Celebration Ideas and Activities

The following are the best things to do to make your celebration of National Fruitcake Day as best as it can be:

Make Your Own Fruitcake

Obviously, the best thing to do for your celebration of this day is to make some delicious fruitcakes. To do that, you can follow the steps below:

Ingredients for soaked fruit:

• 1 and ¼ cups of dark raisins
• 1 and ¼ cups of golden raisins
• 2 cups of mixed unsweetened dried fruit
• 1 cup of dried unsweetened black figs
• ¾ cups of dried unsweetened prunes
• 1 cup of dried unsweetened tart cherries
• ¾ cups of dark rum

Also Check: National Rum Day

Ingredients for Fruit Cake:

• 1 and ½ cups of unbleached all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoons of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• ¾ cups of packed light brown sugar
• 5 pieces of large eggs
• 1 tablespoon of freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon of orange zest
• ½ cups of orange juice
• 1 piece of apple, peeled, and grated
• ¾ cups of almonds
• 3 tablespoons of diced ginger
• 2/3 cups of chocolate chips (optional)
• Soaked fruit mixture (see above)

Instructions:

1. A day before you bake your fruitcake, combine all the dried fruits in a large bowl. Mix in the dark rum then cover. Allow this mixture to be soaked at room temperature for about 12 hours, or even 24 hours for better results.
2. Preheat your oven to 300F with the rack at the center. Prepare a loaf pan then lightly grease and line with parchment paper.
3. Prepare a medium mixing bowl where you must whisk together the baking powder, all-purpose flour, salt, and spices. Set this aside.
4. In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and add brown sugar. Mix at high speed for about 3 minutes until it becomes fluffy and light.
5. Reduce the speed to medium and add the 5 eggs one at a time. Beat until the eggs are well incorporated.
6. At low speed, add the flour mixture. Wait until just absorbed. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer then add orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, almonds, apple, ginger, and your soaked dried fruit mixture, and chocolate (if you have). Stir the mixture with a spatula and scrape the edges and the bottom of the bowl for a few times. Make sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
7. Transfer the batter to the load pans. Use the spatula to even the layer. Put the pans on the center rack of your oven then bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove from oven then place on the rack to cool.
8. Once the cake has cooled, carefully remove the fruitcakes from the load pans. Set them in cheesecloth then wrap each one tightly. Cover the loads with foil and was paper then transfer to a Ziplock bag. Store in refrigerator for about 6 to 8 weeks. This will allow the flavors to greatly improve. But you can still consume the fruitcakes right after cooling. Though it is highly recommended to store them for that great period of time to get the best results.
9. Serve your deliciously made fruitcakes and enjoy!

Buy Fruitcake from a Bakery

Another good idea for your celebration of this wonderful day is to order some fruitcakes from the bakery or pastry shop. For sure, these stores will be offering lots of these baked goods during or even before the event because they expect that a great demand for this cake will come due to the celebration. Just make sure to buy one or some from a bakery or pastry shop that offers delicious fruitcakes. A renowned pastry shop or bakery will do. This alternative is best for people who want to indulge themselves into some delicious fruitcakes yet they do not have the time to make some for themselves.

Celebrate on Social Media

You can also take your celebration of this day on social media. You can, for instance, use the hashtag #NationalFruitcakeDay to let your friends and followers know that you are also participating in the celebration of this day. Let them know that such a celebration takes place every year and also how happy you are enjoying your day.