'Fruitcake of God' in Oregon's Willamette Valley

[rusty rae]

Above: One of the Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe's sumptuous fruitcakes, awaiting an evening snack down.

The “Fruitcake of God” that is produced from the hands of monks at Our Lady of Guadalupe near Carlton, Oregon in the heart of Willamette Valley wine country is changing the minds and palates of fine food fanciers around North America. Whereas fruitcake has gotten a bad name – and perhaps rightfully so when you are thinking of the dry, citron bitter fruitcake that seems to be a decade old right out of the box – fruitcake from the abbey in Carlton is a moveable feast anytime.

Using a recipe that has not changed since 1982, the monks of this Trappist Abbey spend two hours a day producing a rich, moist fruitcake during which nary a word is spoken as the brothers make this sumptuous cake and commune with God.

The Abbey now produces 50,000 pounds of its lush fruitcake each year up from 20,000 pounds 20 years ago, according to Fr. Richard Layton, the business manager of the Abbey. The fruitcake business, which is one of the mainstays of support for the 28 monks of the abbey, has supplanted previous endeavors in pew making and a dwindling book binding business.

Additionally, the abbey is blessed to be located in the middle of Oregon wine country and has become a major warehouser of wines for local winemakers, with 40,000 square feet of storage that is used by 149 wineries.

But let’s get back to those fruitcakes and what makes them stand out.

At Left: Fr. Richard Layton, business manager of the abbey, with two of the three pound fruitcake with a part of the wine storage facility in the background.

First and foremost is the recipe for the cakes that was developed in 1982 by Father Arnold who had experience in the fruitcake business from time spent with the Camoldalese Monks near Big Sur in California.

Brother Arnold left the abbey in Oregon in 1965 and when he returned to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the late 1970s he was tasked with developing a fruitcake recipe as this was seemingly a business that the Trappist community could support (with monk power) and which would also provide an income to support the community.

He baked up several batches and got community feedback on various combinations of ingredients before coming up with the “winning” recipe – and the rest as they say is history.

The fruitcake dough is prepared from roughly 8:30 to 10:30 in the morning each day during the baking season. The brothers produce three batches of fruitcakes in this time period – about 324  pounds of dough or about 1,000 pounds of fruitcake a week. While the brothers have not taken a vow of silence, this process is carried out in silent contemplation.

Baked in a confectionary oven that has four or five platforms that rotate, it takes roughly 2.5 hours at 375 degrees. The cakes hit the oven around 10:30 and are finished baking by 2 pm.

But what is the the so-called “secret sauce” for these heavenly cakes? That is obviously a heavenly secret – but Fr. Layton notes that he and the brothers are only interested in producing the very tastiest and highest quality of products.

While the Abbey uses a number of Pacific Northwest ingredients, Fr. Layton said, “We have tried to keep the ingredients Pacific Northwest-based but when we have found better prices and quality, we have had to go elsewhere. We want the best quality for the cakes, ultimately.”

The cherries are from the Salem, OR area, walnuts and pecans from California, and the pineapple is from Florida. The Abbey buys candied fruit processed by the supplier.

Perhaps if there is a secret to the flavor and unfettered moistness of these fruitcakes, it might come down to the post baking process that the monks use. Each cake gets a 30-second dip into 64.8 proof aged grape brandy from California.

“The dipping process is enough to soak the cakes, but not make them soggy,” notes Fr. Layton.

Once the cakes have been dipped in this “water of life” they are aged for five to six weeks during which time the brandy has a chance to soak to the core of the fruitcake.

These Fruitcakes of God are available from several sources, but perhaps the easiest is dealing directly with the Abbey from its website: http://trappistabbey.org. The cakes are available in one and three pound sizes.

While fruitcake dates back to Egyptian times, cakes from Our Lady of Guadalupe have their own special taste. The cake is at once moist and the combination of fruit, nuts, and spices are like a fourth of July for the palate. Words simply do not do justice to the taste.

My bride and I restrict ourselves to the one pound size as we have found that a bottle of wine and a fruitcake is a perfect soul-food meal that allows us to wind down after a busy week (with, of course, the proper penitence on the treadmill the next morning). These fruitcakes are good enough that we might not be able to overcome the temptation of downing a three pound cake in one sitting.

At Right: a selection of beverages that we have tested with these Fruitcakes of God.

We have found, in fact, that a chilled bottle of a dry champagne is a perfect mate to these fruitcake. Pinot Noir, found in nearby wineries is also an excellent companion (Erath's Pinot Noir is a favorite, which is just over the hill from the abbey in Dundee). Pinot Gris is a favorite white wine or ours with these fruitcakes and we very much like the pairing of Willlamette Valley Pinot Gris, whose vines are located about an hour south of the abbey in Turner, OR).

For an after dinner desert fare, a dram of scotch such as 18-year-old GlenMorangie is a fitting end to the day and the melange of flavors of the fruitcake and the scotch is amazing.

Of course, there are many other combinations of drink that we have yet to try – but then that is another chapter to be written about the Fruitcake of God.

Below: Fr. Richard Layton, with two of the three pound fruitcakes with some of the wine storage in the background.