Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that fruitcake has earned a hall-of-fame spot in the hallowed halls of holiday dessert history. As we combed Betty’s archives to track the evolution of this quintessential Christmas dessert, one cake stood out as irresistibly innovative: Betty’s Mystery Fruitcake.
Debuting in 1947, this “never-fail recipe” consisted of crumbled-up Betty Crocker Honey Spice Cake Mix, combined with a decadent mix of candied fruits, dates, raisins and pecan halves, with the resulting jewel-like cake weighing in at six-and-a-half pounds. Advertised as “grandmother good,” the unique no-bake preparation greatly reduced the risk of scorching, which undoubtedly gave homemakers around the land yet another reason to rejoice. (Teetotalers of the era were also likely to appreciate the cake’s liquor-free preparation, a rare thing in the world of fruitcakes!)
Looking for a more modern interpretation of this traditional treat? From icebox cookies to fruitcake granola, we’ve got you covered!
(function() {
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
var componentMetadata = JSON.parse('\x7b\x22componentName\x22\x3a\x22NewsletterCTA_9d2ab271-058d-4bdc-bfdb-ed43c417d1d0\x22,\x22deferOptions\x22\x3a\x7b\x22deferComponent\x22\x3atrue,\x22deferType\x22\x3a\x22OnDemand\x22,\x22deferId\x22\x3a\x22re5791208b9c84b9aaf10d7de1d623751\x22,\x22deferredContainerId\x22\x3a\x22\x2fprimaryColumn\x2finteropInlineNewsletterCta\x22,\x22deferredContainerView\x22\x3a\x22InteropDeferWrapper\x22\x7d,\x22viewName\x22\x3a\x22NewsletterCTA\x22\x7d');
var configuration = {"unsubscribedNewsletters":[{"listId":"1e34a555-89d1-45f0-8f07-b3ae6b01c03c","thumbnailImageUrl":"/-/media/Images/Shared/myaccount/newsletters/BC_Thumb157x157.png","previewUrl":"https://morpheus3.idpk.net/email_sends/7743/preview","name":"Betty\u0027s Email","isPromo":false}],"settings":{"anonymousCopy":"Subscribe to Betty Crocker","anonymousDescriptionCopy":"Get kitchen tested recipes, meal ideas and more \u0026ndash; straight to your inbox","anonymousThankYouCopy":"\u003cp\u003eThanks! Your first email is on its way.\u003c/p\u003e\n","anonymousThankYouDescriptionCopy":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNow that you\u0026rsquo;re signed up, create an account on BettyCrocker.com to save your favorite recipes, learn more about special promotions and get inspired through Betty\u0026rsquo;s expert tips.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","anonymousButtonText":"Sign Up","anonymousEmailInvalidErrorText":"Please enter a valid email address.","anonymousSubscribeErrorText":"We encountered an error while signing you up. Please try again.","anonymousEmailAddressPlaceholderText":"Enter your email address","standardSmallImageUrl":"/-/media/Images/Shared/myaccount/newsletterCTA/PN_SO_MidPage2_B_BC.jpg","standardLargeImageUrl":"/-/media/Images/Shared/myaccount/newsletterCTA/PN_SO_Footer3_A_BC.jpg","backgroundColor":"#333333","registrationUrl":"/register/reg-fp?RegAction=SUBSCRIBERUPGRADE\u0026esrc=11275\u0026returnUrl=%2fmenus-holidays-parties%2fmhplibrary%2fparties-and-get-togethers%2fvintage-betty%2fbettys-mystery-fruitcake","registrationLinkText":"Join free!","hideForSessionCookieExpiration":0,"ctaType":"StandardAnonymous","location":"Inline","userState":"Anonymous"}};
var moduleName = 'newsletterCta';
var isVueModule = true;
GeneralMills.PandoSites.RegisterControlInstance(moduleName, configuration, componentMetadata, isVueModule)
});
})();
(function() {
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
var componentMetadata = JSON.parse('\x7b\x22componentName\x22\x3a\x22ConsumerGeneratedContent_90756152-21af-4feb-9f18-115480cba8ce\x22,\x22deferOptions\x22\x3a\x7b\x22deferComponent\x22\x3atrue,\x22deferType\x22\x3a\x22OnDemand\x22,\x22deferId\x22\x3a\x22r1397087a472c496eabfc16581f8f6fb4\x22,\x22deferredContainerId\x22\x3a\x22\x2fratingReview\x2finteropRatingReview\x22,\x22deferredContainerView\x22\x3a\x22InteropDeferWrapper\x22\x7d,\x22viewName\x22\x3a\x22ConsumerGeneratedContent\x22\x7d');
var configuration = {"loaderScript":"https://apps.bazaarvoice.com/deployments/bettycrocker/main_site/production/en_US/bv.js","type":"ReviewOnly","language":"en","isEmailRequired":true,"isScreenNameRequired":true,"includeRatings":false};
var moduleName = 'consumerGeneratedContent';
var isVueModule = true;
GeneralMills.PandoSites.RegisterControlInstance(moduleName, configuration, componentMetadata, isVueModule)
});
})();