***Disclaimer- This review is based solely on my opinion. I received no compensation for this post other than the Deluxe Fruitcake for taste and review.
As I sit in my comfy chair writing this post, I think about all the people out and about shopping today. More power to them. I can’t do it. I just can’t bring myself to go out in that frenzy of pushing-shoving-biting-hair-pulling-skin-scratching-eye-gouging phenomenon known as Black Friday. All in the name of saving a few dollars. I’d rather chew my arm off and throw it in a lake never to be found.
With Thanksgiving hanging over our belts under our belts, save for a few days of leftovers, it’s time to start thinking about Holiday preparations. Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year as well as one of the most stressful. Along with all the decorating, shopping and wrapping, we have to fit time in for mounds of baking.
Any short-cuts I can take in that department are welcome. When I was contacted by Collin Street Bakery to review their Deluxe Fruitcake, I thought, hey, why not? One less goodie I’d have to bake.
<insert fruitcake jokes here>
Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of fruitcake. Fruitcake gets a bad wrap for sure. Most people won’t even give it a chance because of all the bias circulating for centuries. One legend has it is that there is only one fruitcake in the entire world that keeps getting circulated. Haha could you image?
I haven’t eaten a fruitcake in decades. I remember as a little girl, my aunt used to bake dozens and dozens of them. I remember trying a slice and not liking it at all. If memory serves me correctly, I think it tasted of booze. Tell me what kid likes the taste of booze. I barely like the taste of it now. Errrhm, notice I said barely?
I used their offer as the perfect opportunity to give it a fair shot again. You know, as a grown adult with more expansive tastes, I thought maybe I might just like it. When the cake arrived it looked so pretty in the package. Maybe that’s why some people use them as door wreaths. Kidding. I had to get one last joke in there.
The first thing I noticed was how many pecans adorned the top of the cake. I also noticed that the candied fruit on the top wasn’t overbearing like many other fruitcakes I’ve seen before. That is an automatic turn-off for me.
I proceeded to unwrap the package and slice off a piece for tasting. Before I tasted it, I looked at the list of ingredients in the insert that was tucked inside the the tin. Aside from the candied dried cherries on top, (I had no idea what the green fruit was. Maybe candied citron?) the ingredients consisted of pineapple, papaya, raisins, and more chopped pecans.
Amazingly, the inside crumb held together fairly well when sliced, considering all the delicious pecans and fruit stuffed in there. It was moist and sweet. All the things a fruitcake should be. It had depth of flavor and the nuts balanced out the sweetness well. I didn’t notice any “boozy” taste either, which I liked.
I even recruited Ellie my Elf on the Shelf to help taste test. Yes, I’m well aware that I’m a 48 year old woman with grown children, who has an Elf on the Shelf Doll. When I have grand babies I’ll have many stories and adventures of Ellie to pass on to them.
If you read my last post, you’ll remember that I talked about my new obsession with making stop motion videos on the mobile app, Vine. I even had Ellie help me make a stop motion video of her taste test. If you don’t have the app, you should get it and follow me for more stop motion videos. ***Click on the speaker icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video for sound.
As you can see she devoured it.
Overall, I’d give this fruitcake a 7 out of 10, and that’s only because I’m not a huge fan of fruitcake. However, I honestly felt I could eat this one and enjoy it as well. If you are a fan of fruitcakes it would be worth your while to order your holiday treats from Collin Street Bakery based in Corsicana, Texas.
They ship worldwide and offer a selection of pecan cakes besides their Deluxe Fruitcake. Their Native Texas Pecan Cakes consist of varieties such as Pineapple Pecan, Apricot Pecan, Texas Blondie, and the one I’d personally love to try, is their Apple Pecan cake.
They also offer a variety of cheesecakes, cookies, bundt cakes, and Chichona coffee, grown near their pineapple farms in Costa Rica. Happy Holidays from me to you. Be sure to cheek out their website. Collin Street Bakery.
Happy Holidays from me to you.
Corsica is my favorite fruitcake. We love it!!!