Trappist monks in the Assumption Abbey are usually supporting themselves by farming or taking care of their cattle; but they believed in something else: Assumption Abbey fruitcake will be their other source of living. For the past 20+ years, the monks not only devoted themselves to God and doing service for people, but they also take orders to make fruitcakes especially for thanksgiving and Christmas season. The cake has been widely known for its perfect moisture, not waxy like most of other fruitcakes. Well, let’s take a peek on the secret of how these Trappist monks make the fruitcake business go well, matching with diverse American taste buds.
Just like other fruitcakes, the Assumption Abbey fruitcake recipe requires bakery-related ingredients as follows.
Ingredients:
- White and brown sugar
- Wheat flour
- Malted barley flour
- Butter
- Rum
- Orange and lemon zest
- English walnuts
- Raisins
- Cherries
- Pineapple
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Corn syrup
- Pecans
- Pure vanilla
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon powder
- Spices
- Salt
Instructions:
- Making the dough:
- Place the butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Mix them all until they become well-combined.
- Add spices, salt, and also baking powder.
- Beat and add eggs to the batter, one at a time. After each addition, mix it with the batter.
- Add both types of flours, vanilla, cinnamon powder, whole milk, baking soda, orange, and lemon zest. Then combine all of those ingredients gently until those are mixed well.
- Last, add pineapple and the fruits you want. Combine it with the dough.
- Baking the dough
Monks in Assumption Abbey bake the dough in a donut-shaped tray. The dough is then baked for approximately 2 hours. - The ‘Special Treatment’
At the next day, the fruitcake is injected with rum. The fruitcake will be glazed with corn syrup. Fruits and nuts are also be put on top of the cake at this moment. After packaging, the fruitcakes will be stored prior to shipping for at least three months. In this case, some preservatives are needed. The long term storing helps to build a non-waxy fruitcake, and to make sure the Assumption Abbey fruitcake isn’t too moist like other fruitcakes. Their shipping is usually happening in the fall.
Prior to making fruitcakes, the monks in the place asked for help from a world-class chef. Such a kind of support helped the monks to build a sort of confidence to make the newly-opened bakery bigger. Until now, the fruitcake is widely known for its rich, dark, and traditional-styled fruitcake. The whole process is done by the monks of the monastery themselves, making the Assumption Abbey fruitcake has more special touch as a Thanksgiving or Christmas gift.
Ingredients —- what are the amounts for each or is that the “secret”?