A Belated Discussion about Christmas Desserts

Photo courtesy of theplattercompany.co.uk

In the US, fruitcake has a pretty bad reputation. My family receives one every holiday season as a thank you from a local college for making a donation. As a child, I don't remember ever eating the thing. People would joke about using it as a doorstop or giving it to someone as a gag gift.

Now that I am an adult, I realize that--shock--fruitcake is quite delicious. The first time I purchased one for myself was at Windsor Castle in England, during the summer of 2009. It was filled with raisins and candied fruit, and best of all, topped with many maraschino cherries and sweet almonds! And now that I am dating an English boy, I took full advantage of this proximity to yummy Christmas desserts.

First, David brought me a "Christmas cake" from England. This is basically a dense, rich fruitcake that has been double iced. The bottom layer of frosting is a coating of marzipan, that delectable almond paste that we don't use too often in the US. Then, a very sweet layer of fondant-like icing is put on top. This extra sweetness takes fruitcake to the next level, and I don't know why we don't eat it across the pond.

"Christmas pudding" is another very traditional English dessert. It is not, in fact, "pudding" as we know it in the US. (The Brits use "pudding" as a generic term for dessert, but then it also means a kind of sweet that is similar to a cake but steamed instead of baked).

The Christmas pudding I ate was pre-made and packaged in a container similar to an individual applesauce tub. It is served warm, sometimes with brandy sauce. To me, it tasted quite like fruitcake as it also contains raisins and other candied fruits, but a bit moister and maybe not quite as heavy. Personally, I prefer the cake form, but I'm glad to have experienced this traditional dessert.

It's funny, though. The English have a very set menu for Christmas dinner, but in my family at least, we never do. I guess Thanksgiving is specific with turkey and pumpkin pie, so we feel free to take some liberties with the next big meal of the year.