cdkitchen > cooking experts > amy powell
Fruitcake. The very word is enough to make the most die-hard Christmas fanatic shudder. But when was the last time you had a fruitcake? It was probably more recently that you think. And you just might have enjoyed it.
What is a fruitcake, exactly? The kind of fruitcake that most Americans think of is of the dense loaf variety usually given by Grandma at Christmas. The Grandma variety is likely packed with candied fruit in shades of neon green and cherry Chapstick red, the kind of colors that don’t naturally occur in any orchard on planet Earth.
In addition to these alien fruits there are typically a variety of nuts ranging from pecans to walnuts. And if Grandma is the type to nip off the whiskey bottle while doing the holiday baking, the whole loaf likely reeks of brandy or some other unidentifiable liqueur. The result is a sticky, sweet, boozy, crunchy, heavy mass that could substitute for a the ball in the annual family flag football game or thanks to unnamed preservatives, make a good bomb shelter food in the event of a nuclear holocaust.
But that is the American fruitcake, at least how it has developed in the last 100 years. But in reality, fruitcakes have been around since ancient Rome and in the last few thousand years have spawned generations of cakes filled with fruit and nuts more enticing and delicious that what we tend to get here in the States.
Perhaps the two most popular variations on the fruitcake are the German stollen, and the Milanese specialty, panettone. In all cases, the fruitcake is considered special, a treat that makes its annual appearance during this time of year, the Christmas season.
If nightmares of fruitcakes rather visions of sugar plums have been dancing through your head this season, it might be time to confront those fears head on with an introduction to one of the American fruitcake’s kinder, gentler cousins. With stollen, the “fruit” part of the fruitcake comes from candied citrus like orange and lemon as well as dried fruit like raisins. Nuts such as almonds or sometimes almond paste are added to the dough. The dough itself is yeast based and usually not very sweet, getting most of the sweetness from the fruits. However the finished product is usually dusted in a heavy coating of powdered sugar, a nod to the cake's origins as Christmas bread: a long rounded white loaf resembling baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes.
If making stollen is too daunting a task and you lack a reliable German bakery in your area, the Italian specialty, panettone, is one fruitcake that appears to have taken even America by storm. The origins of panettone are far more recent than many people realize. Although panettone is steeped in the same fruitcake history as stollen and American fruitcake, the tall, airy, cylindrical loaf that we associate panettone with today is the result of a recipe developed in the early 20th century and popularized by two Milanese bakers. Fierce competition between these two bakers drove prices down, making the holiday fruit and nut studded bread nearly ubiquitous among Italian communities worldwide from Latin America to Europe by the end of World War II.
Panettone achieves its signature airiness through a triple rise that can take up to 20 hours to complete before heading to the oven. Unlike its fruitcake cousins, the dried fruit in panettone is not typically soaked in liqueurs or brandy before adding to the dough, instead they are added dry. But liquor still makes its way to the bread as slices of panettone are traditionally served with sweet wine like Moscato d’asti or a marscapone cream sweetened with the almond flavored liqueur amaretto.
As a way to ease back into the possibilities of fruitcake I recommend a different sort of use for panettone, that is as the base for a luxurious French toast. Done the traditional way, the panettone French toast would make for a colorful Christmas brunch main course. Or, for a simple to prepare Christmas dessert, make the panetonne French toast as you would for breakfast but serve with whipped cream seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon and spiked with a healthy dose of bourbon for the grownups.
Fruitcake admittedly gets a bad rap, most of it deservedly so. But if you have ever had a slice of warm cardamom and citrus infused stollen or light and airy raisin studded panettone with a glass of Moscato, then you know that the combination of dried or candied fruit, nuts, and bread can at times transcend the stereotypes and enter the realm of divine and beloved Christmas foods. So in the spirit of the season, try giving fruitcake another chance, be it Grandma’s or with Christmas morning panettone French toast, and you just might start to understand that thousands of years of tradition can’t be all that bad.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1115-fruitcake/
A Better, Edible Fruitcake
Fruitcake. The very word is enough to make the most die-hard Christmas fanatic shudder. But when was the last time you had a fruitcake? It was probably more recently that you think. And you just might have enjoyed it.
What is a fruitcake, exactly? The kind of fruitcake that most Americans think of is of the dense loaf variety usually given by Grandma at Christmas. The Grandma variety is likely packed with candied fruit in shades of neon green and cherry Chapstick red, the kind of colors that don’t naturally occur in any orchard on planet Earth.
In addition to these alien fruits there are typically a variety of nuts ranging from pecans to walnuts. And if Grandma is the type to nip off the whiskey bottle while doing the holiday baking, the whole loaf likely reeks of brandy or some other unidentifiable liqueur. The result is a sticky, sweet, boozy, crunchy, heavy mass that could substitute for a the ball in the annual family flag football game or thanks to unnamed preservatives, make a good bomb shelter food in the event of a nuclear holocaust.
But that is the American fruitcake, at least how it has developed in the last 100 years. But in reality, fruitcakes have been around since ancient Rome and in the last few thousand years have spawned generations of cakes filled with fruit and nuts more enticing and delicious that what we tend to get here in the States.
Perhaps the two most popular variations on the fruitcake are the German stollen, and the Milanese specialty, panettone. In all cases, the fruitcake is considered special, a treat that makes its annual appearance during this time of year, the Christmas season.
If nightmares of fruitcakes rather visions of sugar plums have been dancing through your head this season, it might be time to confront those fears head on with an introduction to one of the American fruitcake’s kinder, gentler cousins. With stollen, the “fruit” part of the fruitcake comes from candied citrus like orange and lemon as well as dried fruit like raisins. Nuts such as almonds or sometimes almond paste are added to the dough. The dough itself is yeast based and usually not very sweet, getting most of the sweetness from the fruits. However the finished product is usually dusted in a heavy coating of powdered sugar, a nod to the cake's origins as Christmas bread: a long rounded white loaf resembling baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes.
If making stollen is too daunting a task and you lack a reliable German bakery in your area, the Italian specialty, panettone, is one fruitcake that appears to have taken even America by storm. The origins of panettone are far more recent than many people realize. Although panettone is steeped in the same fruitcake history as stollen and American fruitcake, the tall, airy, cylindrical loaf that we associate panettone with today is the result of a recipe developed in the early 20th century and popularized by two Milanese bakers. Fierce competition between these two bakers drove prices down, making the holiday fruit and nut studded bread nearly ubiquitous among Italian communities worldwide from Latin America to Europe by the end of World War II.
Panettone achieves its signature airiness through a triple rise that can take up to 20 hours to complete before heading to the oven. Unlike its fruitcake cousins, the dried fruit in panettone is not typically soaked in liqueurs or brandy before adding to the dough, instead they are added dry. But liquor still makes its way to the bread as slices of panettone are traditionally served with sweet wine like Moscato d’asti or a marscapone cream sweetened with the almond flavored liqueur amaretto.
As a way to ease back into the possibilities of fruitcake I recommend a different sort of use for panettone, that is as the base for a luxurious French toast. Done the traditional way, the panettone French toast would make for a colorful Christmas brunch main course. Or, for a simple to prepare Christmas dessert, make the panetonne French toast as you would for breakfast but serve with whipped cream seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon and spiked with a healthy dose of bourbon for the grownups.
Fruitcake admittedly gets a bad rap, most of it deservedly so. But if you have ever had a slice of warm cardamom and citrus infused stollen or light and airy raisin studded panettone with a glass of Moscato, then you know that the combination of dried or candied fruit, nuts, and bread can at times transcend the stereotypes and enter the realm of divine and beloved Christmas foods. So in the spirit of the season, try giving fruitcake another chance, be it Grandma’s or with Christmas morning panettone French toast, and you just might start to understand that thousands of years of tradition can’t be all that bad.
Panettone French Toast with Bourbon-Vanilla Whipped Cream
Made with bourbon, powdered sugar, panettone, eggs, milk, sugar, butter, whipping cream, vanilla extract
Made with bourbon, powdered sugar, panettone, eggs, milk, sugar, butter, whipping cream, vanilla extract
Serves/Makes: 6
- 1 large loaf panettone
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- butter
- 1 cup whipping cream, cold
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Slice panetonne into vertical slices about 1 inch thick.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and sugar until creamy and well blended. Pour egg mixture into a shallow dish.
Heat a griddle over medium heat. Working with a couple of slices at a time, soak each slice of panettone in the egg mixture for 10-20 seconds per side.
Melt 1 tsp of butter on the griddle per two slices of panetonne. Cook each egg-soaked slice of bread for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to the warm oven and repeat with remaining slices.
While French toast is cooking, using an electric mixer, beat whipping cream, vanilla, powdered sugar and bourbon until stiff peaks form.
When all panettone is cooked, serve 2 slices per person with a dollop of bourbon whipped cream.
share this article:
related articles
Write a comment:
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1115-fruitcake/