Whether eaten or used as doorstops, fruitcake is a big holiday business. Just one popular fruitcake company alone sells about one and a half million of them each year! Another well-known specialty food catalog, sells about 100,000 fruitcakes per year. At a monestary in the Ozark Mountains, income from the sale of fruitcakes made by the monks is their only source of income. With sales of almost 30,000, they sell-out every year! There are many websites selling fruitcakes.

With a small, 6" round, fruitcake starting at about for $25 + shipping, it's possible to bake a homemade fruitcake for a fraction of the cost of buying one. Below are two fruitcake recipes that I use. The first makes one large fruitcake or 2 to 3 smaller fruitcakes in loaf pans. (8" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2").

To decorate, brush the top of a cooled fruitcake with hot corn syrup and decorate with snipped red and green candied cherries. When set, brush with second glaze. Allow the glaze to dry before wrapping.

Fruitcake is traditionally aged for a few weeks. Though this fruitcake recipe makes a cake that's moist, delicious and ready to eat the next day, and aging is not required, aging will furthur enhance the taste.

To age a fruitcake -

• Dip a cheesecloth in rum, brandy or wine, then wrap it around the fruitcake.

• Place the wrapped cake in an airtight container or wrap it securely in plastic wrap + foil.

• Every few days, lightly dampen it with more rum, brandy or wine and, again, wrap it tightly.

A few more fruitcake tips -

• Always cool a fruitcake in the pan and remove when cool.

• To store - Wrap fruitcake in plastic wrap + aluminum foil or place it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for added moistness.

• Slice a fruitcake with a thin sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

• When serving a tray of cookies, add small slices of fruitcake, wrapped in red or green plastic wrap.

The second recipe is for mini-fruitcakes. If you're running out of time for baking but you still want really good homemade fruitcake, these are a great last minute time saver!

Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook Betty Crocker's spectacular all-in-one Christmas cooking, decorating and entertaining book helps you get in the spirit! It features recipes for every imaginable Christmas dish... cakes, candies, breads, meats, and more. It also includes innovative ideas for gifts from the kitchen, gift wrapping and decking the halls.

Paula Deen Celebrates!: Best Dishes and Best Wishes for the Best Times of Your Life Food Network star, Paula Deen, offers 170-plus recipes arranged by menus for traditional holidays and other celebrations. Paula also shares decorating tips, and "Paula's Pearls of Wisdom" like "treasure today's moment's because they will tomorrow’s memories."