December Means Fruitcake
One of the things we look forward to most about the holidays is releasing our fruitcake, or Christmas cake. The anticipation has been building since April when we first began the intensive process of creating this classic Yuletide treat. Every year, we put in 7 months of love and care to make sure these cakes are exceptional for you when they’re released in December.
We’ve noticed a revival in fruitcake popularity in the shop. Whether the cakes are covered in chocolate, or small bites soaked in spirits, these aren’t the fruitcakes you might remember cringing at as children.
For anyone unfamiliar with fruitcake, it’s commonly made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices. The dedicated home cook or chef then proceeds to “feed” the cake base with a regular dose of brandy, rum or whiskey every few weeks, for anywhere from one month to one year. By the time the cake is ready to serve it’s moist, delicious, and bursting with flavor.
In the spirit of keeping holiday traditions alive, Thyme & Again’s “top secret” fruitcake recipe came from our former chef’s mother. It was already a tradition in his family before it became a tradition here.
Over the years we’ve had some experimentation with the recipe, including the happy accident that became our Fruitcake Balls – mouth-sized, one-bite morsels perfect for any party tray. Since the fruitcakes have been soaking for about 6 months by the time we’re ready to cut the large slabs into smaller pieces, they’re very delicate. One year, the fruitcakes were exceptionally delicate and kept breaking apart as they were being cut. Our bakery team noticed you could roll the pieces into smaller balls, and voila! They became one of our most popular holiday items.
Our pastry chef, Kylie Anglesey, recommends the Fruitcake Balls as a “good introduction to fruitcake” if you’ve never tried it, or it wasn’t your favourite in the past.
So bring on the holiday season featuring plenty of other classic Yuletide treats from our shop – coming to you December 1st, 2016!
