I make a killer fruitcake but have never found a "store boughten" one I liked.... sorry.

Alexa

I have been told I am as nutty as a fruitcake but that doesn't help you. I am not personally a big fan of fruitcake but my Mom is and she likes the ones I send to her from Costco. My sister's boyfriend also thinks they're great and unless my sister or Mom hides it, he eats the whole thing.
Clare

I've looked at the Costco ones and they do look good. Try one and see. If I bought a fruitcake to test I'd have to eat the whole thing.

Collins street bakery! The best!
And they also make an "Easter cake"...as I recall a white rum pecan wonderful thing!
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit cake

I make my own, but I've heard good things about the famous fruitcakes made by the Trappist monks at Assumption Abbey.

Here is a link that might be useful: Assumption Abbey fruitcake

Made two of them yesterday. Just need to go out and get some good rum for soaking.

I second the Collin Street Bakery. We receive one every year as a gift and they are delicious.

Grace

Thank you for the recommendations - that's exactly what I was looking for! I might have to order one from each place and see which one we like the best.

seagrass

I'll chime in to agree with Collin Street Bakery. They are actually world famous. Their fruitcakes are wonderful.

The bakery is located in Corsicana, Texas which you pass through when traveling between Houston and Dallas. Whenever we go that route, we always stop in, it's just a couple o' miles off the freeway. The bakery also sells regular bakery items, breads, cakes, cookies, etc. so we always load up. They have a great pecan bread.

They used to sell "seconds" fruit cakes in December, fruitcakes that didn't make the cut for some reason, for half price. I never could figure out what was wrong with those, they looked & tasted just as good as the "firsts"!

I was going to say "that place in Corsicana" but I guess it's been said.

I have to disagree on Collin Street. I had three of them last year and all they were was sweet. Collin Street also uses high fructose corn syrup, which I personally cannot stand. The one fruitcake I had that was amazing was made by monks. That had a lot of flavor, not just sweet. It was from Gethsemani Farms.

For completely subjective reviews on fruitcake, try www.mondofruitcake.com This guy is obsessed by fruitcake and reviews as many types as he can find.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gethsemani Farms

To off-set the "not a baker" or to dispell the notion fruitcake is difficult to make... During a baking marathon weekend a few years ago, hubby (the non-baker) made the fruitcake for me and commented how easy it was to make. He wondered why there was the ancient mystery about it being difficult, which he found similar to those old commercials for Rice Krispy Treats where the mom keeps the family at bay, makes all kinds of noise in the kitchen, puts flour on her face, and then appears as though she was a cooking martyr with the Rice Krispy Treats.

Fruitcake is no more difficult than any regular old quick bread because we no longer crack the nuts, make the candied and dried fruit, seed the dates and raisins, grate the sugar from a cone of sugar, grate the spices, and all the other things they once did to make this infamous cake that only a few of us still love. It's pretty much a dump, stir, and bake effort these days. ;-)

-Grainlady

Oh what childhood memories this stirs... Mom and Dad mixing by hand the thick, concrete-like batter. They wrapped them and gave them away to friends and family.

Always thought their friends were building a house for them upstate with the loaves (I just couldn't imagine anyone would eat them). Once my brother left it on the top of the car while loading the kids. Wasn't there when he got home. Figured it flew off and killed/maimed someone on the highway.

Anyway, thanks for stirring up some funny memories. Carry on.

Sue

That mondofruitcake website is very useful! Thank you for posting that info dlundin.

Grainlady - Thank you for the encouragement. Although I'm probably capable of making one, it's a gift I'm giving myself and so not such a gift if I have to make it lol.

I'm currently leaning toward the bourbon soaked fruitcake from the monks at Gethsemani Farms...

And Sue, it didn't escape me that this might be a somewhat entertaining post but I'm not proud :0)

seagrass

Seagrass, if you can find Claxton Fruitcake, you must try it - amazing!