# Buying Brandy- for fruitcakes



## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

I am now intrigued with the idea of soaking these fruitcakes with brandy. Are there brands that are better for this purpose? Is the taste between brands substantially different? I have never tasted brandy and have no idea what I am looking for as far as the best qualities. Help me to not waste my money!


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

I have no knowledge of fruit cakes, but when I saw your post I was reminded of the Julia Child thing about, "you put a little wine in, and then sip a little, then you sip some more" lol or however it went. Good luck!


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

That might actually happen...lol


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Finally, a subject I know something about....

BEWARE!!! There are some liquor brands that say "Brandy" on the label that are not 100% brandy. If you read the fine print, they will say something like "neutral grain spirits plus flavoring!"

Look for a brandy that has VO, VSOP or XO on the label....you'll be can sure its 100% brandy.

If you want a real good brandy, buy cognac.


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## CountryWannabe (May 31, 2004)

You don't actually soak them. What you do is sprinkle ("feed") them liberally with the liquor then wrap them in a liquor-dampened muslin or cheesecloth (immerse the cloth in a small amount of liquor then wring it out - it should be just damp) Wrap your cake in this - it should be long enough to give two to three layers - then overwrap with aluminum foil. You need to "feed" your cake weekly. Traditionally the English Christmas Cake is made the week after Easter then "fed" weekly till the end of November. The first week in December the cake is brushed with three thin layers of melted apricot jam and covered with an almond paste icing. That is left for a couple of days to dry out some and then the cake is decorated with Royal Icing. By Christmas the Royal Icing should be hard.

As to the type of brandy - most people use a cheap one. Christian Brothers is reasonably priced and half way decently flavored. Connoisseurs *can* tell the difference between the el cheapo stuff and a Courvoisier fed cake, but unless you have a cake snob invited then I would forget the extra expense.

Mary


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## 3ravens (Mar 16, 2006)

Yeah, but CF, if I spend $$ for cognac, it's going in ME, not the fruitcake! :buds: I usually use peach brandy for fruitcakes......


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Many I know soak fruitcakes in Ky bourbon. I don't like the taste of these and prefer the fruitcake that's sometimes referred to as a friendship fruitcake, where the fruits are fermented in rum before making the cake with these. It's been a long time since I've made any type of fruitcake but I remember what a long process it involves. Good luck with your fruitcakes Melissa. I'm sure they'll be much appreciated.


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## salmonslayer (Jan 4, 2009)

> Many I know soak fruitcakes in Ky bourbon


 Now your talkin!! I like the bourbon soaked because they arent as sweet but it is a different taste. Maybe you could make a couple different types?


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2009)

If it's not good enough to drink neat it's not good enough to soak your fruit cake in.

I prefer whiskey to brandy, but my dad likes it. I just bought him some Paul Masson that he liked right well. Christian Brothers is his usual brand I believe.

.....Alan.


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

I'll just try to make one type to start with!! I know it probably won't be as tasty as one that was made months ago, but I am hoping it is edible. I am drying pineapple right now and plan to bake the cakes tomorrow. I'll ask my sister about the brandy, she might have some.


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## tiffnzacsmom (Jan 26, 2006)

salmonslayer said:


> Now your talkin!! I like the bourbon soaked because they arent as sweet but it is a different taste. Maybe you could make a couple different types?


Sounds like a way to start Melissa's liqueor cabinet.


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

tiffnzacsmom said:


> Sounds like a way to start Melissa's liqueor cabinet.


The temptation might be too great. With the long history of alcoholism in my family, I always said I never started drinking because I was afraid I might like it a bit too much...:nono:


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## tiffnzacsmom (Jan 26, 2006)

Melissa, I limit my drinking too for the same reason AND my doctors know not to give me anything stronger than I need. Last week I read the ER doc the riot act for giving me something that I thought was too strong, he was in shock that someone would be upset at being made to feel all floaty and weird.


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

I refuse to help you ruin good brandy by putting fruitcake in it.


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

What kind/brand of Bourbon do you recommend for Bourbon balls and Bourbon pecan pie?


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

if i had to guess, the person who first started doing this would not have used their best brandy but saved it for sipping while using an inferior one for cooking.

no cook i know uses the GOOD wine on their food.


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## Zipporah (Jul 30, 2006)

My mom use rum.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

I'd use an apricot or peach brandy myself, but it's all about preference.

At this point, however, it may not be worth it -- without the time for it to age, you might just end up with soggy cake. I'd have plain cake this year, and next year, make them earlier let them age properly. Half the flavor comes from the spirits and the cake flavors blending, which doesn't happen if you don't let it age.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Christian Brothers is a good brand...... but the flavored may give it a neat flavor !!


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## Oggie (May 29, 2003)

I don't remember about Ohio, but here, in Oklahoma, liquor stores sell single-serving size bottles, the airline-size ones. Perhaps you might be able to buy one of those tiny bottles and sprinkle a little on a small piece of fruit cake and give it a taste.

If you don't like that flavor, you're only out a buck or so.

I don't think that a Cognac would be the flavor you're looking for. I like the flavor, but I think something else might better compliment the fruitcakes.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I have Christian Brothers Brandy for mine, But I have the fruit soaking in the brandy for 24 hours up to a couple weeks if you want too. I'm soaking mine a few day's, stir it every day, then bake up the cakes. I will sprinkle a little bit on each cake after they bake then wrap them up & let them alone. It says the flavors need to mingle a couple weeks before serving.


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## CherieOH (Jun 10, 2005)

I wonder how it would be to just add brandy extract or rum extract to the cake before baking it instead of having to soak it in brandy or rum?


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> I'd use an apricot or peach brandy myself, but it's all about preference.
> 
> At this point, however, it may not be worth it -- without the time for it to age, you might just end up with soggy cake. I'd have plain cake this year, and next year, make them earlier let them age properly. Half the flavor comes from the spirits and the cake flavors blending, which doesn't happen if you don't let it age.


Reading through various recipes online, many of them call for just leaving the cake with the brandy for a week or two and most call for just a sprinkling and a cloth soaked in the brandy.


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## salmonslayer (Jan 4, 2009)

> What kind/brand of Bourbon do you recommend for Bourbon balls and Bourbon pecan pie?


 My wife and I use Early Times or Wild Turkey (cheap) and as someone else said, you can buy them in small half pints or the airline type bottles if your not a drinker.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

A.T. Hagan said:


> If it's not good enough to drink neat it's not good enough to soak your fruit cake in.
> 
> I prefer whiskey to brandy, but my dad likes it. I just bought him some Paul Masson that he liked right well. Christian Brothers is his usual brand I believe.
> 
> .....Alan.


.............Second on the Whiskey , The fruitcake is ALready very sweet , Brandy makes it Mores SO ! A little Jack daniels black label adds just the right amount of flavor too complement the sweetness of the FC . , fordy


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

I thought Brandy was a fine girl and would make a good wife. Why would you want to feed her to a fruitcake?


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## Oggie (May 29, 2003)

wy_white_wolf said:


> I thought Brandy was a fine girl and would make a good wife. Why would you want to feed her to a fruitcake?


I think it was: "Brandy you're a fine girl, and a good wife you would be. But my life, my love and my lady is candied cherries."


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I made mine yesterday. i usually soak the fruit for a couple of weeks but i only soaked it overnight this time and i still expect to have a good cake. i use napolean brandy for the white cake and rum for the dark. no reason i guess, just the way my mother did it. and yes, i wouldn't put it in my cakes if i couldn't drink it. tomorrow i'm making one with grand marnier. that's probably my best tasting one.this is mostly what i do for christmas gifts. bake them in small loaf pans.wrap in colored cellophane and tie with a ribbon.~Georgia.


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## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

One of the quickest and best tasting cakes, can be done in just a couple of days. Get a frozen sara lee pound cake, the one in the tin pan, with the paper liner on top, then the cardboard top cover. Its the kind that the foil pan crimps around the cover. Sprinke the frozen cake with whatever liquor you prefer, I like to use "Southern Comfort" or a dark rum. Make sure you put the paper liner back on and reseal. Let thaw in the fridge for a couple of days. It's a no brainer that anyone can do.

Daniel


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

I live about 5 miles from Makers Mark so most everyone I know uses this brand of whiskey for fruitcakes. Kinda like to keep it local. I also live about 10 miles from the Trappist monks who make/sell expensive fruitcake and cheese, but it's very very good:
http://www.gethsemanifarms.org/fruitcake.aspx


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

Last ones I made I used rum and they were so good. Just run a thin line down the center of the cake and seal. I did this every couple days. I wrapped them in handy wrap but I also started before thanksgiving. Good luck. Sam


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## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

Melissa said:


> I am now intrigued with the idea of soaking these fruitcakes with brandy. Are there brands that are better for this purpose? Is the taste between brands substantially different? I have never tasted brandy and have no idea what I am looking for as far as the best qualities. Help me to not waste my money!


You are not from Wisconsin, are you? :buds: We drink more brandy than any other country. Personally, I like Korbel VSOP. I think brandy is the right pairing for your fruit cake, none of this whiskey shenanigans!


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

soulsurvivor said:


> I live about 5 miles from Makers Mark so most everyone I know uses this brand of whiskey for fruitcakes. Kinda like to keep it local. I also live about 10 miles from the Trappist monks who make/sell expensive fruitcake and cheese, but it's very very good:
> http://www.gethsemanifarms.org/fruitcake.aspx


Makers Mark! Now you're talking GOOD sippin' whisky!


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

Oggie said:


> I don't remember about Ohio, but here, in Oklahoma, liquor stores sell single-serving size bottles, the airline-size ones. Perhaps you might be able to buy one of those tiny bottles and sprinkle a little on a small piece of fruit cake and give it a taste.
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

rose2005 said:


> I don't know anyone that starts theirs at Easter, August/September maybe!
> 
> Rose


If I find a good after Christmas sale with the candied fruit at half price or LESS ~~~ I will put it in a large jar and cover it with brandy right away.
So my fruitcake sometimes gets it's start as early as December of the prior year.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

I use Korbel's brandy.

Here is my family recipe for fruit cake.



Granma's Fruit Cake
(Must be 21 to eat it) 

16 oz. red cherries
16 oz green cherries
6 oz. candied pineapple chunks
2 cups nuts
1 cup white raisins
1 cup dates (cut in half or thirds)

Mix in a large bowl.
Pour 1 cup brandy over.
Let stand over night (or for several months)
If soaking for an extended period of time, add more brandy as it is absorbed.


Bake the cakes at least 2 to 3 weeks before serving the fruit cake.....so the flavors all have time to mingle.

Cream 1/2 cup butter
Add 1 cup sugar
Beat in 6 eggs, one at a time

Add sifted dry ingredients

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon rind (optional)

Stir in fruits and nuts

Fill 2 foil lined bread loaf pans

Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours (maybe longer--test with a toothpick)

Pour a little more Brandy over the cake as it cools down!

ENJOY!


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## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

soulsurvivor said:


> I live about 5 miles from Makers Mark so most everyone I know uses this brand of whiskey for fruitcakes. Kinda like to keep it local. I also live about 10 miles from the Trappist monks who make/sell expensive fruitcake and cheese, but it's very very good:
> http://www.gethsemanifarms.org/fruitcake.aspx


SoulSurvivor, Five miles from "Makers Mark", Can I move in with you? Think they might have a job opening for a product taster? I would work for Cheap:dance:

Daniel


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

Melissa,
Your dried pineapple will not be the same as "candied pineapple" like most recipes call for.
So, I'm womdering if you need to dry it at all ~~~ maybe just use it in the well drained stage.

But then --- thinking as I type ----- I suppose the dried version will better absorb the brandy.


A person can put most anything in their fruitcake and it'll still turns out GOOD.

I generally avoid all citron, and always add more nuts


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

The recipe calls for dried pineapple, but it was so expensive I thought it would be much cheaper to dry it myself. I think undried pineapple would be a completely different texture.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

In the spirit of Christmas and good cheer I promise to be nice to fruit cakes.


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## bjba (Feb 18, 2003)

Brandy is made by distilling wine. It can also be made by fermenting fruit and distilling the product of fermentation.
Calvados is distilled from apples
Rakia is distilled from everything from plums to walnuts
Slivovitz plum brandy
Scnapps fruit brandy
Applejack Apple brandy
You have choices Melissa. Have fun. My teetotaler Grandmother soaked hers in Old Forester Bourbon. I never really cared for it, actually preferred her fruitcake plain.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

Melissa said:


> The recipe calls for dried pineapple, but it was so expensive I thought it would be much cheaper to dry it myself. I think undried pineapple would be a completely different texture.


You're giving me some ideas for extra additions to my cake!

I think I'll be adding some of my home dried apples....maybe even a few dried blueberries.
I think I'll not do the dried bananas and strawberries.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

rose2005 said:


> Tallpines, do you do the layer of jam, then marzipan, then royal icing? Do you peak the icing and put decorations on the top...like little Christmas trees and so on?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You know I think I make really good fruit cake and they are always in big demand from a few of my relatives.....but if you guys keep filling me with such ideas--------------well I just don't know what to think!

I can't decide if THAT cake looks "heavenly" or "sinful"!


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

tallpines said:


> You're giving me some ideas for extra additions to my cake!
> 
> I think I'll be adding some of my home dried apples....maybe even a few dried blueberries.
> I think I'll not do the dried bananas and strawberries.


You're from Wisconsin, how about some craisins?


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## CountryWannabe (May 31, 2004)

Rose: that is such a pretty cake - did you make that one? I used to do the almond paste and the royal icing, but not any more. In fact I haven't made one in three years. Next year I will... I also buy the fruit after christmas when it is drastically reduced. Throw it in the Brandy when I think about it. I might even do the icings next year...

I used to start mine the week after easter and feed it every week. I do believe it would last forever after that. I saw one guy on TV late last year who had some 10 year old fruit cake that he had been feeding with whiskey (he gave the name, I don't remember it, but it was an expensive one I gathered) he takes just a sliver every year. There was about a quarter of the cake left. Mine never lasted much beyond New Years - it was gobbled up.

In England wedding cake is a rich, liquored fruit cake. I was so surprised the first American wedding I attended to get a piece of sponge cake... 

Mary


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## Oggie (May 29, 2003)

tallpines said:


> Oggie said:
> 
> 
> > I don't remember about Ohio, but here, in Oklahoma, liquor stores sell single-serving size bottles, the airline-size ones. Perhaps you might be able to buy one of those tiny bottles and sprinkle a little on a small piece of fruit cake and give it a taste.
> ...


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## bjba (Feb 18, 2003)

Rose:
You said the magic word marzipan. Forget the cake Melissa make marzipan decorations/figures just put bowls of marzipan out and you will be worshipped as a goddess. When I lived in Germany I learned to love marzipan.


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