Pennywell

Why do the Americans hate it so much? Some of our american buddies told us it is an absolute insult to give anyone it and it seems they re-gift to see how far it will go. I have tasted US fruit cake and I can see why but does anyone know why it is so hated?

Deedee13

bugger!!! i knew i should have packed something in my suitcase.. i could just gobble some xmas cake now... i love the stuff. I think its the marzipan they dont like. Me on the other hand.. well not me persay.. but my big fat bum loves the stuff....

notacrime

Ha, I have never experienced this. My californian wife likes it, especially the thick layer of marzepan.

My mum mailed about a pound of the christmas cake that my dad made to my father in law in Napa. God knows how much it cost her, but it made it through customs and he sent an email thanking her. I don't have the heart to tell mum that he's a diabetic and probably won't eat it.

Janek66

My lot hate the dried fruit and spices. But I love it!

anotherlimey

No idea, but they can send it to me if they don't like it!

another bloody yank

I haven't seen one in forever. When I was a kid, I remember all the ancients eating it at family Christmas gatherings, heven't seen one since. They're kind of a running Christmas joke as said above. People pass the same "cake" around for years without eating any of it.

Found this here: http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/f....htm/printable

A few fruitcake statistics:
Percent of people who said they received a fruitcake as a gift and threw it away: 47 percent
Percent of people who said they planned to regift their fruitcake: 11 percent
Years a fruitcake can still be edible if stored in an airtight tin: 26

Ash UK/US

My US hubby loves Christmas cake.

I like Englsih Christmas cake, I prefer it without the mazipan though.

Pennywell

My Aunt was horrified that her American DIL insisted on sponge cake for her wedding in Scotland. She couldn't get her head round not keeping the top tier to be used as Christening cake. We ate ours as soon as we came back from honeymoon.. delicious! I suppose the cutesy thing of smashing cake into each others face might be even less appealing if currants and raisins were stuck to the brides cheeks!

ChocolateBabz

I made Nigella's Chocolate Christmas Cake - very fruity but with lots of Tia Maria & Chocolate. No marzipan or Icing - just cake. I gave one to my American Friends and kept one. They said they loved it - but now I am wondering Is it possible they just said that to spare my feelings?????

another bloody yank

I'm sure they loved it. Really. As did their Aunt, and then their Aunt's DIL, and then her MIL....

Pennywell

Nah, they loved it! I think I might just google that for this year, although I won't tell the OH who's recipe it is. He just loves Nigella, personally I don't see the appeal when he has me, his own domestic goddess, ok, I'm domesticated, half way there

Bob

we had a red velvet cake for ours, saved the top for first wedding anniversary is the custom, just wrap in clingfilm, stick in airtight container and shove into back of freezer, was alright...

Leeds_Lass

I make a christmas cake every year. My USC husband, bless, has stopped making fun of the "fruit cake". He'll have a slice to be polite and then leave it well alone. Maybe Americans are just sick of receiving it as a gift?

NC Penguin

American fruit cake looks different to British fruit cake even though they share the same name. For a start, there's less fruit in an American fruit cake.

My Mum usually makes me a Christmas cake each year and mails it to me in time for Christmas. Sadly, she wasn't able to make one for this past Christmas and instead bought one from Fortnum and Mason (I didn't know this until the cake had been bought).

As to be expected, the cake was expensive so I had quite high expectations but the cake was very disappointing. Unlike my Mum's Christmas cake, there's only one type of dried fruit it in it. My Mum puts a variety of dried fruit in hers and "feeds" the fruit cake with alcohol for some days before she makes both marzipan and royal icing to cover the cake.

Janek66

Same with my mum. Can't beat a mum's Christmas cake.