A bite of a sweet Christmas classic from the Fruitcake Lady

I know it’s unfair, but I always judge fruitcake based on my all-time favorite fruitcake, the one baked by my husband Riz, who’s not a pastry chef or anything but a professional photographer and writer.

A fruitcake lover, I always try different kinds—those sold in bakeshops, trade shows, and even supermarkets.

However, I always felt that nothing came close to Riz’s fruitcake—until I discovered the one made by Judy Lao of Ju.D’s Pastries and Confectionery.

If Riz’s fruitcake is a 10 for me, Ju.D’s is a 9.5.

It’s actually difficult to compare the two because they are different. Ju.D’s classic fruitcake is the traditional kind with molasses, honey, and brandies. Riz’s was developed for a non-drinker like me: sweeter taste, milder cherry brandy, and no molasses.

Lao’s fruitcake is also for sale: Ju.D’s Fruitcakes and Cookies on 50 Greenmeadows Avenue, Greenmeadows, Quezon City, has been around since 1975.

When I first opened the box of Ju.D’s classic fruitcake (P950 for a two-pound fruitcake), the strong scent of brandy and molasses made me feel dizzy, as I inherited my father’s allergy to alcohol.

I could barely finish the first slice as the brandy taste was too strong. However, as the days went by, I found myself eating it at all hours: lunch, merienda, dinner, before bedtime, and the other day, at 3:00 a.m. when our puppy woke me up, asking for food. I gave her a dog treat while I treated myself to a slice of Ju.D’s fruitcake.

It’s so addictive. In fact, I’m eating a slice as I am writing this. It’s perfect with my special brew of hot tea plus calamansi.

I haven’t met Lao in person. However, her PR person Nana Nadal shared Lao’s replies to a set of questions.

Asked how she got into baking, Lao said, “I’ve never attended any cooking classes, but I love to read cook books. I do a lot of experimentations on recipes that catch my fancy.  And since I’m from a big family, we’re never short of guinea pigs or should I say, brave and curious souls.”

Lao, who started baking fruitcake after college, said she loved to cook and bake because “I like to see happy faces once they tried my cooking.”

Lao, who has gone on to win awards for her fruitcake—and who has become known to some as "the Fruitcake Lady"—said developing the recipe for it “was really hard,” a process that lasted about six months

“There wasn't so much cookbook regarding this and no Google to approach,” she added.

Aside from the classic fruitcake, Lao also has a Golden Fruitcake made with honey, brown sugar, Canadian red cranberry, and golden apricot. It also has candied ginger and a blend of light rum, brandy, and white wine.

Lao also has a special kind of coffee-based fruitcake called Ju.D Blue, with molasses and Blue Mountain coffee from Australia. The glazed fruits and nuts were soaked in Kahlua coffee liquor before baking.

Lao only sells fruitcake during the Christmas season, and she copes with the bulk of orders with help from “neighbors’ maids, out-of-school youths, and parents from schools who are in financial need but cannot take regular jobs.”

As of now, she said she cannot afford to hire regular employees for the Christmas rush, “so this arrangement has been a win-win situation for all of us.”

“I remember a few years back, we had a group of young ladies from El Shaddai Choir who came to help us, and from time to time they’d burst out singing while they were working. That was a very lovely and memorable Christmas for us,” she said. — BM, GMA News

For orders, Ju.D’s can be reached at 633-0260 and 633-1188.