Carrying the Fruitcake Torch

Confession: I might have actually developed a taste for fruitcake...at least for Mrs. Torbert's fruitcake.

As you may have read here, I set some goals for year 38 of my life. One of them is to select 38 recipes on Pinterest to cook between now and September 8, 2015 {the last day of my 38th year}. Like I've previously stated, the great thing about goals is that they are adjustable...and I've already adjusted this one. Slightly. My board has only 37 recipes on it. This is because I decided to include a special recipe that isn't on Pinterest. That recipe is Mrs. Betty Sue Torbert's Fruitcake. Let me tell you, baking fruitcake isn't like just baking any old cake! But it was a great experience and one that I was so excited to tell Mrs. Torbert about! Here's my fun in pictures:

First, she brought the recipe to me. This is how it was delivered:

Maybe you're like me and aren't quite sure what to think about this at first. If I recall correctly, this is an old salt can. Inside of it was more than just a recipe. Mrs. Torbert also sent her pans and antique cloths to use. {I'll tell you about those cloths later.}

 

After familiarizing myself with the recipe, step one was to buy the fruit. A LOT of fruit. One of the things I learned from my friend, Sue Gene (Mrs. Torbert's daughter), is that you have to buy it early because, one, it isn't always available and, two, fruitcake has to be made well in advance! {Another reference to those antique cloths that I'll tell you about later.} This recipe is chock-a-block full of candied fruit and nuts. It includes red and green cherries, pineapple, figs, dates, citron, orange rind, lemon rind, almonds, and pecans...along with a variety of spices.

I haven't had this many dates in a while! {A little single girl humor...}

Most of the fruit came in these little tubs...with a layer of syrupy stuff at the bottom.

I chopped up all of the fruit and nuts and put them in the biggest bowl I have.

 

Unfortunately, the only thing my bowl was big enough to do was hold the fruit. Forget any mixing! So I did used the only thing I had that was bigger...the insert from my electric roaster. I guess if this becomes a tradition I'll have to pick up a big tub somewhere!

I had to flour the fruit then mix the other ingredients that formed the batter. After mixing all of that together, I packed it down into 7 {that's right, SEVEN} loaf pans and baked my fruitcake!

Once the cakes were baked and cooled, I removed them from the pans and prepared them for aging. This is another thing I learned...fruit cake has to age! Though I baked them in early November, they won't be ready until Christmas time...who knew?? This is where those antique cloths, and the tin can, come in. You soak each cloth in grape juice and use them to wrap the fruitcake for the aging process, resoaking the cloths every couple of weeks or so.

After wrapping each cake, they go in the can for storage and aging, which is where they sit now. And where they will continue to sit until Christmas! Can I just tell you I am so excited for Christmas when I can share some with the Torberts and my dad, who just so happens to love some fruitcake!?

I don't know what your feelings about fruitcake are. You might think this is the most ridiculous post you've ever seen. {Some people may not have even made it past the first picture so maybe you should get a prize for reading this far...how does some fruitcake sound?} For me, there was something really fulfilling about baking Mrs. Torbert's fruitcake. But it was about more than just baking this cake that is said to last forever. 

A publication recently came across my desk with a quote from Dr. James Dobson. He said, "A heritage is what you give to someone, a legacy is what you do in someone." To some, this may just be fruitcake. To me, this is part of Mrs. Torbert. This is sharing in something that has been part of her life for many years. Have I told you she is 91? Have I told you she was a chemist before retiring? Did you know she has had foxes in her backyard? She also knits some of the most beautiful sweaters and booties I've ever seen. Her stories and life fascinate me. To be able to carry on a little bit of her life is part of continuing her legacy. I don't know what my legacy will be. I don't know what I will be used to do in others. But, whether it's big or small, I hope and pray it makes a difference. What about you? Life on this earth is short. How are you investing in those who will come behind you?