Our Favorite Things: Easing the Fear of Fruitcake

Fruitcake is not and has never been one of our favorite things. But we have to give The Swiss Colony credit for at least trying to make the dubious delicacy palatable by combining it with chocolate. After testing consumer taste for chocolate fruitcake last year, the Monroe, WI-based food gifts mailer introduced the “rich, fudgy cake filled with pecans, sweet cherries, and chocolate chunks” in The Swiss Colony’s 2006 holiday catalog.

According to Art Bartsch, The Swiss Colony’s master baker (and “friendly fruitcake expert” at Ilovefruitcake.com): “Our new chocolate fruitcake tastes like a rich brownie, while still representing all the joys of the holiday tradition.” We still prefer rich brownies that aren’t muddied up with dried fruit and nuts. But if you feel that you must stick to tradition and send us a fruitcake for the holidays, we would like the chocolate kind—thank you.