6 minute read
LOC’s Famous Fruitcakes
a holiday staple
Live Oak Church of God’s Famous Fruitcakes
By Hayli Zuccola Holly Frazier Photography
Fruitcakes are synonymous with the yuletide season, but the adjectives often associated with the holiday staple are, well, less than attering. Dense. Dry. Speckled with questionable-looking fruit. Lime green cherries? Hard pass. Nevertheless, volunteers with the Live Oak Church of God have managed to break through the public’s distaste for fruitcake by baking their own version of the dessert that sells out year after year.
“A lot of people that say they don’t like fruitcakes, once they eat this one, they like them,” said Leeta Bronson, who is the Financial Accountant and leader of Women’s Ministries for Live Oak Church of God.
The history of this delicious project dates back to the ’50s and ’60s with Church of God Reverend A.J. and Dora Duncan who developed the fruitcake fundraiser for their Dade City church. The tasty concept was a success and was later adopted by a liate churches in Haines City and Bristol. Bristol church members Fred and Barbara Watson brought the idea to Live Oak after they relocated to the area in 1985, and since its Suwannee County debut, the Watsons and the Live Oak Church of God team have encouraged 15 other churches to host fruitcake campaigns of their own.
“The best testimony I remember was a man showed up at our door a few days before Christmas and had to have a fruitcake. I explained that we were sold out and I knew of no cakes left anywhere. He almost had tears in his eyes as he was supposed to have purchased a cake sooner, but let it slide and his wife and kids would be so disappointed without their traditional fruitcake for Christmas. We broke down and told him we would personally bake him one so he would have one for Christmas,” wrote Fred and Barbara Watson, recalling their involvement with the project.
Leeta, who oversees Live Oak’s fruitcake operations, is an expert on making the perfect Christmas cake and has been involved with Live Oak’s charitable event since its inception.
“When we rst started out, we probably only did a couple hundred cakes. It was very small. It was a test to see how it was going to go and we did not have the big facility at that point, so we couldn’t bake. However, we started baking and built the new church, and the fruitcake project actually helped us pay the church o early. All the pro ts from the fruitcakes at that point went to pay o the church,” Bronson said.
What began as a small-scale e ort has grown exponentially over the last three decades.
“We do 600 pounds of batter a week and that equates to somewhere around 250 cakes each bake. We do a total of approximately 1,280 cakes a season—6 bakes is what we do at 600 pounds, so that’s 3,600 pounds,” she said.
So, what’s the secret to turning the holiday’s most notorious dessert into a coveted and festive favorite? Well, for the church’s take, the ingredients are kept simple with candied cherries and pineapple from Plant City and pecans harvested in Georgia mixed with butter, eggs, our and sugar, which makes for a delicious, moist cake that isn’t overpowered by an abundance of fruit and spices.
With the ingredients set, the prep work to whip up over a thousand cakes begins in August with the purchase of a whopping 1,440 pounds of fruit and 1,080 pounds of nuts. At the end of September, it’s time for the group of 13 to 15 volunteers to conduct their rst bake. Monday mornings are reserved for measuring dry ingredients and greasing pans, but the real progress starts on Tuesdays at 6 a.m. This is the day of the week when batters are mixed; fruit and nuts are folded in; pans for ve-pound, three-pound, two-and-a-half-pound and one-pound cakes are lled and baked until golden. The cakes are then cooled before being wrapped and stored for purchase.
“Our method is a tried-and-true method,” Leeta said. “We have tried all kinds of shortcuts throughout the years and it just does not work. Everything is mixed by hand.”
Once the batter is mixed and the nut and fruit elements are folded in, the consistency is double-checked by Leeta before being sent to the packers who ll the cake molds, pack them down, shape them and nally decorate the tops before loading them on trays ready for the oven, after which they’re closely monitored to ensure an even, golden bake.
With nearly 40 years of practice, there’s no denying they have the recipe and assembly down to a science.
“It runs like a well-oiled machine and it’s because the people come and they volunteer and we’re so appreciative to them and we’re appreciative to the community for supporting us, but it’s just amazing how the people come together and everybody just knows what they’re supposed to do and they just kind of work together so good. It’s amazing, it really is,” she said. Whether it’s the large ve-pound Bundt or the mini one-pound loaf, each fruitcake is made with love and provides a burst of seasonal avor in every bite. Customers can either visit or call the church o ce located on US Highway 129 in Live Oak or stop at the annual Christmas on the Square celebration in December—if there are any left over by then.
“Over the years it’s been word of mouth and, believe it or not, people start calling us the rst of October wanting to know if we’ve started baking. We don’t have any problem selling them… we sell all over the place. We ship all over the place,” Leeta said. “The community has really been good to support us—really been good to support us.”
For 37 years, Leeta has o ered her time and e ort toward the annual baking event where she’s helped create thousands upon thousands of fruitcakes—a tradition she’s yet to tire of both in assembly of or hunger for, well, at least for their version of the winter confection.
“The vision that Pastor Watson and his wife gave to the church that this project could help us pay the church o early and how hard that he and she worked—they worked just as hard as any of the rest of us, if not harder—and it just inspired me to continue with it. It helps the church, it helps the community, you know; people look forward to them, and I love the fellowship; I love getting with the people and working. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun, so that’s why I do it.”
Believe it or not, people start calling us the fi rst of October wanting to know if we’ve started baking. We don’t have any problem selling them, we ship all over the place.” —Leeta Bronson
So set aside those fruitcake fears and don’t let the jolly jokes fool you, because a slice of this Christmas cake is sure to change your perception and become
an annual “must-have” on your holiday table. ■
