Comments on Mondo Fruitcake: Review: Mary of Puddin Hill Pecan Fruitcake

When I drive from Dallas to visit family in Arkans...

2010-07-08T21:22:31.746-05:00

When I drive from Dallas to visit family in Arkansas, I pass right by the Mary of Puddin Hill bakery. They have a small store attached to the bakery and it's a wonderful place to stop. I remember something about candies and other confections but I never got past the fruit cake tables. They had samples you can try before you buy. I could live there! I think I walked out with at least a pound of every fruitcake they offered the last time I stopped. I have to agree that their fruitcake has the least "cake" of any that I've tried - mostly fruit and nuts with a tiny amount of cake to bind everything together. I think this is my favorite fruitcake aside from the monestery fruitcakes. If you ever find yourself passing thru Greenville, TX, the bakery is on the south side of the Interstate. A little hard to get to but definitely worth the trouble if you're serious about fruitcake!

Glad you like the blog - all fruitcake lovers (esp...

2010-01-07T21:33:16.839-06:00

Glad you like the blog - all fruitcake lovers (especially fruitcake families) are welcome!

We found this blog recently and ordered Mary of Pu...

2010-01-07T06:38:07.684-06:00

We found this blog recently and ordered Mary of Pudding Hill and the Holy Spirit Monastery cakes as a result. On her own, my mother ordered two Collin Street cakes (blonde and regular, I think). So we had a real taste test at Christmas! The Mary of Pudding Hill cake was beautiful but we found it just too sweet. It doesn't seem to have any spices in it at all, so it doesn't taste like we expected a fruit cake to taste. Collins Street cakes DO meet our southern fruitcake expectations, however. The Holy Spirit Monastery cake was definitely boozey, but not enough for my mother, so I guess next year we go to the Gethsemani one!

Thanks for the blog -- we're a family that likes fruitcake and we've had a lot of fun with it!

I love your site but must disagree re: the Mary of...

2008-12-16T12:23:00.000-06:00

I love your site but must disagree re: the Mary of Puddin' Hill fruitcake because--as you mention--it isn't a cake at all but a candy-like confection.

I love at least a bit of moist, dense, flavorful CAKE interspersed w/the fruit & nuts, and keep going back to the Collins St. DeLuxe, which has at least some recognizable cake in it.

And Southern fruit cakes don't have to be booze-free; that's up to the customer. I wrap mine in a cloth wrung out in Grand Marnier or Calvados or rum or Irish whiskey (or all the above :o) for several weeks before I cut it.

But as you also confess in another post, no commercial cake compares with a good homemade one. I just started again making my own this year because I couldn't afford a commercial one with times so hard.

I use Rose Murray's excellent Banana Fruit Cake recipe from her 1979 "Christmas Cookbook". Not enough banana in the batter to identify as banana, just enough to give the cake a great moist texture and deep rich flavor. Lots of dates, just enough candied fruit, hint of cinnamon/nutmeg/clove.

Makes two 9x5" loaves totaling ~6 lbs. of cake, and the cost of my ingredients was ~$20 (I candied my own orange peel & pineapple) instead of the $~100 6 lbs. of bought fruit cake would cost me by your average price table.

Hey Mike from Oly(mpia?), let me know how the UK c...

2008-12-05T21:58:00.000-06:00

Hey Mike from Oly(mpia?), let me know how the UK cake is--my sister sent me a huge list of them that could keep me in business until I die.

To Isabelle, Ray and Anonymous,
Isabelle, don't...

2008-11-29T21:50:00.000-06:00

To Isabelle, Ray and Anonymous,
Isabelle, don't feel nervous. I just ordered a lot of fruitcakes based upon your and Anon.'s recommendations. (I even ventured outside of your recommendation field to the UK.)
Thanks for your website and Anon.'s and other commentors' contributions.
Mike (Oly, WA)

To Ray: I feel gratified that Texans are backing m...

2008-11-07T15:52:00.000-06:00

To Ray: I feel gratified that Texans are backing me up on this decision! I'll add the Apricot fruitcake to my still expanding list--you would think I'd have gotten them all, after three years ...

To anonymous, I'm both flattered and nervous that you ordered on my recommendations, and would love to hear what you think of them! If you're a Gethsemani fan then I think everything pales, but I do like the good quality and slight variations that the different monastery fruitcakes bring. I'll add the Monastery of the Holy Spirit to my list--thanks for pointing it out.

Isabelle, I have just ordered three of the one-pou...

2008-11-07T14:34:00.000-06:00

Isabelle, I have just ordered three of the one-pounders from Our Lady of Guadalupe on your recommendation ("there is NOTHING wrong with this fruitcake!"), plus a 2.5-pounder from Gethsemani, just for insurance. I hope the Our Lady's are really good (I'm giving them as gifts), better than the ranking you've given them on your sidebar. I tried Assumption Abbey last year, and Holy Cross the year before, and I don't think they're up there with Gethsemani. By the way, have you tried the one from Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Ga.? It's got peach brandy, and it looks very credible in the photos. Just go to holyspiritmonasterygifts.com and follow the links.

Being good Texans and southern fruitcake lovers, m...

2008-11-06T14:40:00.000-06:00

Being good Texans and southern fruitcake lovers, my wife and I independantly came to the same decision you did. Mary of Puddin Hill beats Collin Street hands down, in spite of Collin Street's fame in these parts. Mary of Puddin Hill makes a moister, more flavorful cake without ending up gooey and sticky.

You should try Mary's Apricot fruitcake for your next "Other" review. It's heaven on earth.