What's everyone up to right now?

[Astreja]

Waiting for the oven timer to beep. I have two, count 'em, two Christmas fruit cakes baking, and if all goes well I should have them cooled, brandied, and stowed safely away for aging before bedtime tonight.

[Joods]

I'm impressed...not only have I now seen someone who makes fruitcakes, but I'm guessing you eat them too?

[Joods]

Just told the other half to roll the fuck over. When the snoring becomes so loud that you can hear it over a fan and it's coming from another room... It's time to yell.

[Astreja]

I'm impressed...not only have I now seen someone who makes fruitcakes, but I'm guessing you eat them too?

Oh, yes.  I love homemade fruitcake -- totally different flavour from those dry bricks of cake and raisins that they sell at the supermarket.

Because of the alcohol bath they get after they cool down, usually brandy but sometimes brandy and rum, the cakes stay moist and keep for several months.  If I have a slice every 2 or 3 days, assuming I don't give some away, the last of it will be gone in late February or so.

[Angrboda]

Winding down to get ready for bed.

[Joods]

I'm impressed...not only have I now seen someone who makes fruitcakes, but I'm guessing you eat them too?

Oh, yes.  I love homemade fruitcake -- totally different flavour from those dry bricks of cake and raisins that they sell at the supermarket.

Because of the alcohol bath they get after they cool down, usually brandy but sometimes brandy and rum, the cakes stay moist and keep for several months.  If I have a slice every 2 or 3 days, assuming I don't give some away, the last of it will be gone in late February or so.

Soaking them in alcohol reminds me of the rum balls my family used to make when I was a teen.

Sadly fruit cake carries with it a horrible stigma. I'm glad yours aren't that kind

[Joods]

And on that note, I'm going to bed.

See you all later!

[Astreja]

I've tried making rum balls but have no idea what happened to the recipe.  For some reason, I think it had melted chocolate plus Oreo or some other kind of boxed cookie crumbs.

Cakes are now officially in cool-down mode.  I let them sit in the pans for half an hour after they came out of the oven, and thanks to the wonders of parchment paper they both rolled right out of the pans.  I parchment paper -- it's been years since I've had to actually grease a baking dish.

[c172]

I have tried to start a fruitcake. Did one a few years ago. But candied fruit hasn't come out yet. I'll need to do one for, like, easter.

[Astreja]

Well, c172, in a pinch you could always make your own candied fruit.  Bonus is that you could pick and choose which kinds of fruit, and it wouldn't have any food colouring added to it. (found a how-to here).