Fruitcake makes me think of holidays spent with my grandma. Her recipe for buttery, sweet no-bake fruitcake has always been near the top of my Christmas must-have list.
But not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this holiday tradition. For many, uttering the word “fruitcake” conjures fear. Perhaps it’s the neon-dyed fruit often associated with the dessert that is particularly unsettling. Maybe it’s the brick-like appearance of the mass-produced loaves found on supermarket shelves. Or maybe it’s hearing the cake maligned for so long by so many—and having that bias our opinions.
Even Johnny Carson joked: “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”