Americans love cake. And believe it or not for over 100 years fruitcake has been considered a cultural staple of what was considered a thoughtful Christmas gift from a friend, family member or colleague.
But it wasn’t always this way. The demand for fruitcake at Christmas was cleverly created by a Texas duo. And if you’ve gotten a fruitcake shipped to you in the familiar red rimmed tin with the old-fashioned Christmas scene in the center, then you’ve received a Collin Street Bakery fruitcake.
The Collin Street bakery began in 1896 in Corsicana, Texas when master baker and young German immigrant Gus Weidmann teamed up with cotton buyer, financier and salesman Tom McElwee. Gus made the cakes and Tom sold them. Tom had a history of showmanship and was also the proprietor of an opera house. The partnership was a true match in American baking history.
The fruit cake has not gone the way of aspics, molded salads, and jellies, it is still sold in every state and in almost 200 countries. Perhaps because it's one way to incorporate fresh foods into a cake that travels well. We don't consider this today but our grandparents often knew those who died from eating contaminated food or sweets (usually botulism). A cake or pie safe was not always "safe".
Preservatives were not widely used until the middle of the century, and soaking nuts and fruit in alcohol and liqueur was (and still is) an excellent way to use fresh foods in baking as well as make it safe to eat without the refrigeration methods we have today.
In 1906, just 10 years after their partnership began, the business had blossomed so much they moved locations and built a second story on their bakery, creating a luxury private hotel on the upper floor. But it wasn’t until John Ringling and his circus came through town that they began their now-famous worldwide shipping of their fruitcakes. Ringling loved the cakes so much he asked to send them to his friends in Europe for Christmas. A tradition was born.
Fruitcakes are actually pretty tasty is you remove the American penchant for soft textured, overly sweet desserts. Kudos to the Collin Street Bakery for keeping baking traditions alive.