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10 Best Fruitcakes to Buy for Christmas

When you hear the word “fruitcake,” what comes to mind? Christmas? A delicious, traditional treat? A dry loaf of something that’s frequently given as a Christmas gift? A very odd person? Whatever you’re thinking, we’re here to tell you that there are real fruitcake options that can be taken seriously in the comestible department, or with a grain of salt in the comedy department. But we are here to help you find the best fruitcake to buy. We don’t wanna sound defensive, but there are legit fruitcakes out there!

As a professional eater, I will tell you that fruitcake really does deserve respect. It’s full of terrific ingredients: candied fruits, raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, sugar, eggs, butter, flour, etc. You can’t argue with that. However, once all the ingredients are baked together, and the fruitcake emerges from the hot holiday oven, that’s when skepticism can enter the conversation. Some people don’t like the texture, some don’t like the taste. We urge you, this holiday season, to open your heart and try. Perhaps you’re going to a Christmas party — take a fruitcake!

But back to the great fruitcake. Fruitcake’s been around a while: a writer for the Smithsonian says the first version of fruitcake was concocted in ancient Rome. In the middle ages, fruitcake — in one form or another — emerged in Italy and Germany. Zooming up to more modern times, a 106-year-old fruitcake was found in early 2017 by researchers in Antarctica. It was part of the supply load of explorer Robert Falcon Scott. This video probably won’t whet your appetite, but there are good talking points in here for when you present your fruitcake gift.

One other recent starring role for fruitcake: in 2003, a man named Morgan Ford shared his family’s prized heirloom fruitcake with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. The fruitcake — then — was 125 years old.

So, yes, there is a history with fruitcake and its kin. But bringing all of this back to the here and now of snacking — or snickering — it’s time to shop. And let’s set the ground rules: the list includes fruitcakes that meet one or two criteria: 1) they’ve received an extraordinary amount of reviews; 2) they’re just dang high quality treats. Full disclosure here: I want to fill myself up with all of these! Writing this has made me want to eat fruitcake! Check out these Top 10 Best Fruitcakes to Buy for Christmas 2020.

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