Facts About Fruit Cake
Fruit cake has a rich history as a dessert, but people have not always associated it with the winter religious holidays. Recipes for fruit cakes are numerous, but all contain the same core ingredients. Does this Spark an idea?
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History of Fruit Cake
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The history of fruit cake can be traced, by most accounts, to the ancient Romans.
In the early 18th century, fruit cake, then known as plum cake, was outlawed in Europe for being sinfully rich. From 1837 to the turn of the century, fruit cake was very popular in England and always had a place on the high tea table.
In the United States, fruit cakes are popular items to send soldiers, and in 2006, Americans mailed 2,952 pounds of fruit cake to soldiers stationed in Iraq, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
Types of Fruit Cake
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The basic ingredients for fruit cake are flour, sugar, eggs, alcohol such as rum, nuts and candied or dried fruit. Also, recipes may include additional spices and ingredients typically found in cakes, such as vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, citrus peel, almond extract, allspice and cloves.
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Fruit Cake Events
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Every year in January, the Colorado town of Manitou Springs hosts the Great Fruitcake Toss. Competitors compete to see how far they can launch a fruit cake, and the event is to raise money for a local charity
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References
- Photo Credit fruitcake and black tea image by odze from Fotolia.com
