VEGAN FRUITCAKE

Paul’s Fruitcake Corner

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we eat fruitcake so you do not have to. I was a little hesitant to buy this ‘Vegan’ cake. It was in a plain brown wrapper and it announced to the world it was a VEGAN fruitcake. I took a risk for you dear readers. This cake was found at the ‘Market Hall” in Oakland California. 

This is a soft moist cake that is full of fruit; raisins, currants, cranberries, oranges, lemons, cherries. There are almonds and brandy listed in the ingredients. The brandy adds just a teeny tiny bity bit of warmth. I would say the cake is fruit forward in taste and most enjoyable. Bonus points for no preservatives or yucky stuff. I am not sure why the cake was hidden in brown paper and boasting Vegan. I am glad I took a chance.

P.S. I washed this cake down with a glass of eggnog; So much for being Vegan.

TRAPPIST ABBEY OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

 

 Paul’s Fruitcake Corner

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcakes so you do not have to. We are going west to the scenic Willamette Valley at Carlton, Oregon. This cake comes from the Monastery of our Lady of Guadalupe. The first thing that caught my eye was this cake was soaked in 120 proof brandy. In the words of “The Great One” (Jackie Gleason); “And away we go”.

  This is a dark cake with dried pineapple, cherries, raisins, walnuts and pecans. It is very dense and you get a honey like sweetness throughout. I will say this cake was a tiny touch dry. The melody of flavors rescued this slightly parched rendition of fruitcake. You do get a hint of brandy flavor which does not overpower or burn. They do boast 120 proof but it has mellowed and only flavored. Overall, I got past the slight dryness because of the wonderful mix of flavors and textures. I enjoyed this cake. In closing, I would like to quote Gleason one more time; “Baby, You’re the Greatest!”

SOURDOUGH BAKING CLASS

 

It is Sunday afternoon and I am at Café 1277 taking a “Sourdough Bread Baking” class. Jourdan taught us some of his wonderful techniques and pointers baking with sourdough. It was hands on because we scrubbed up and kneaded away. We got to create our own loaf that I attempted to decorate with my name. Did I mention we had snacks and beverages throughout our class? When we departed we took home some sourdough starter and our personal loaf of bread. It was a fun and tasty couple of hours. Thanks to Jourdan for teaching and inspiring.

ANNA MARY"S FRUITCAKE

Paul’s Fruitcake Corner

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcake so you do not have too. Today we have Anna Mary’s old fashioned fruitcake turned gourmet nutcake. This cake is 70 percent nuts and fruit with just enough batter to hold it together. (These are Anna Mary’s website words). This is a NUTcake for sure. There are lots of walnuts & pecans with just a few cherries and chopped dates thrown in. If you are a nut like me, this is the cake for you. It has a dense nutty texture and is not overly sweet. You do taste the dates. I am enjoying this cake and give it thumbs up. 

“We would be NUTS to call this a fruitcake” boasts the Anna Mary Company. Who is Anna Mary?  Anna Mary Byler was a kind and devoted Amish Mennonite mother of twelve. She was well known for her fruitcakes. Anna Mary is gone now but her tradition and fruitcakes are alive. These cakes are baked in Huntsville, Arkansas. Go Nuts!

SCOMA'S EGGNOG

Tis the season to be jolly and egg nog from San Francisco’s Fisherman’s wharf iconic Scoma’s restaurant sure fits the bill. This eggnog is very special. It has been aged for 300 days. It was made with 350 egg yolks, milk, vanilla bean, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon, cream and sugar. It is heated slowly and a bunch of booze is added; Diplomatico Mantuano rum, Yuste Aurora Amontillado Sherry and Vecchia Romagna brandy. How does it taste, you ask?

   The first sip of eggnog is a boozy brandy hit. It is warm and coats your mouth with a heavy cream backup. You taste a lot of nutmeg & cinnamon . To be fair the bartender grated some fresh nutmeg over the glass of this vintage brew. I did like it. It also cost 20 dollars for this drink. Would I order it again? I think a good bottle of brandy and some store bought egg nog would easily replicate this drink.

WOLFERMAN'S GRAND FRUITCAKE

 

Paul’s Fruitcake Corner

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the Corner we try fruitcake so you do not have to. Who knew that Wolferman’s bakery made other items besides English Muffins? Wolferman’s started out as a small bakery and is now owned by the huge corporation “Harry & David”. My two pound “Grand Fruitcake” arrived in a Holiday tin. When I opened the tin I immediately smelled nostalgic, ‘take me back’ fresh smell of cinnamon. Christmas has arrived. This cake is very tender and will fall apart on you if you are not careful. This is a dark fruitcake and has a pronounced molasses vibe. There are raisins, walnuts, cherries and pineapple. This is a moist cake that is heavily spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger. I do like the Christmas flavors/scents and Wolferman’s puts a really nice spin on this Cakefruit. (See what I did there?)

FRANK'S FRARMOUSE BAKERY TRADITIONAL RICH FRUITCAKE

 

Paul’s Fruitcake Corner

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcake so you do not have to. We are going across the pond to jolly ole England to try ‘Frank’s Farmhouse Bakery Traditional Rich Fruitcake. No expense or distance is the sacrifices we make here at the corner for you dear readers. I only glanced at the ingredient list. (I really should not look). Sultanas are listed and I need to ‘Google” to find out that these are golden raisins. Raisins and dates are another prevalent ingredient included with the usual list of cake mixings.

  Frank’s is not a very exciting fruitcake. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this cake. It is not overly dry but it could use a tiny boost of moisture. The sweetness of this cake is generated by the fruits; sultanas, raisins and dates. Sherry is a listed ingredient but is nowhere to be found. You have to be careful eating Frank’s fruitcake because I found several small unidentified hard wood like fragments while eating. I assumed they were nut shells but I did not see any nuts listed on the ingredient list. After thinking about it for a while it is possible to be bits of the raisin stem. I do like the flavor and appreciate the natural sweetness from the fruits. While, I did not do summersaults on Frank’s, I do want to tell you how much fun it is experiencing my fruitcake adventure.