Episode 53- Fruitcake with Hayden Crawford from Collin Street Bakery

It’s one of the most controversial dinner topics at any holiday dinner. More polarizing than politics or any college rivalry on any side of the Mississippi. It’s also the ultimate holiday hostess gift and the definitive Christmas dessert. It’s the fruitcake.

We decided we had to learn more about the Why? of this famous dish and if we were going to talk fruitcakes we needed to talk to the best in the business. We sat down with Hayden Crawford from the legendary Collin Street Bakery to find out the scoop on what makes their version the best and why people have such strong feelings about the stuff.

Collin Street has been family-owned and operated in Texas since 1896. Their fruitcakes have been featured in major publications and TV channels across the globe such as The Travel Channel, The History Channel, ABC, People Magazine, USA Today to name just a few.

The bakery’s fans are dedicated to their delicious and unique combinations of fruit, nuts and decadence. When we say dedicated, that’s actually a total understatement. Collin Street has customers who not only order year after year, they even have some that order from the grave. No lie. There have been multiple customers who have left strict instructions in their wills to have fruitcakes delivered to their family years after they pass on. That’s got to be some tasty fruitcake. We even got Hayden to divulge some of their more famous customers, there are many.

Hayden shared the storied history of how their beloved recipe came to be and why it sets them apart. There are some interesting fruits in there that actually surprised us when we heard.

We, of course, had to ask if he practices what he preaches and serves fruitcake at his own family gatherings. He does, but he admitted to having some years of shying away from the product from overload.

We couldn’t resist asking why fruitcakes in general have developed such a conflicted reputation among consumers and how it got that way. He partially blames Johnny Carson with a laugh thanks to an old skit that about there really only being one fruitcake in the world that just constantly gets regifted.

Based on Collin Street’s production and orders, we can clearly see that’s not actually the case. Currently their fruitcakes are shipped to 196 countries. They are baked with the freshest ingredients that they single source themselves. The fruitcakes are made fresh daily. Collin Street also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all their cakes. Beyond the cakes themselves, the festive tins they are presented in are classics as well. Even if you’ve never had one of the cakes, you’ve definitely seen a tin at a relative’s over the years.

If you’d like to add a Collin Street Deluxe® Fruitcake to your holiday gift list or dessert selection, place your orders soon. The season is already in full force with orders starting to pour in. To order yours visit: https://www.collinstreet.com. If fruitcake isn’t your thing, the bakery offers a number of other delicious treats for orders as well. Happy shopping, dining and gifting!