She makes fruitcake—and memories
Of all the cakes in the world, it’s the fruitcake that clearly gets no respect. What is it about the dark, dense, liqueur-tinged loaf generously decorated with nuts, spices, and candied fruit that prompts people to pass it on to others in Christmas?
“There is only one fruitcake in the entire world,” joked late-night talk show host Johnny Carson, “and people keep sending it to each other!”
That’s not the case with Judy Lao. For close to 50 years, the baking hobbyist’s eponymous Ju.D’s Fruitcakes have been selling like hotcakes not just during the holiday season, but all year round. From family members and close friends, Lao’s clientele has expanded to include prominent business personalities, movie and TV stars, and politicians who show up at her doorstep.
“You know Risa Hontiveros? She buys it herself, not her staff,” says Lao of the senator. “She rang our doorbell. Amazing. So humble.”
Initially, Lao didn’t like fruitcake. She was 6 when she had her first taste of the holiday staple, courtesy of her godmother. The flavor of liqueur on the American-style dessert was too overpowering for a girl her age.
The second time fruitcake made an impression on her was after college, on a trip to Zurich, Switzerland. A waiter served her a slice of cake a la mode—the European version, which was more to her liking. Back home, she sought to replicate its taste, and with numerous attempts and feedback from family, friends, and neighbors who were the first to sample the then little-known cake, she had her recipe.
“I think my fruitcake more or less appeals to the Filipino palate,” she says.
‘We never cut corners’
It’s a recipe she has stuck with since 1975. “Never,” she says when asked if rising prices have forced her to tweak or scrimp on any of her imported ingredients. “We never cut corners. I remember one time, maybe 40 years ago, there was no importation of US raisins and walnuts. I had to buy raisins from another source. But they were not as clean as we expected. So we washed the raisins with cherry brandy.”
Neither has she skipped a year of fruitcake making. “Even during the pandemic, it was still selling,” says Lao, who begins late August or early September and gives her fruitcakes two months to age. “I think the most challenging time was when there were a lot of brownouts in the ‘90s. We were making fruitcake in the middle of the night when the power was still on.”
Such uncompromising consistency has made Ju.D’s Fruitcakes a tradition in many families’ homes. “A lot of my original customers are no longer around, now it’s their children who come,” she says. “‘My mom used to buy from you’ they tell me. It makes me feel so happy. I realize I’m not only making fruitcake, I’m making memories.”
An upcoming treat is bound to make next Christmas even more memorable. Called the Jubilee, it’s a fruitcake in celebration of Ju.D’s 50th anniversary in 2025. So far, the dozen people who tried it are pleased with the way it’s turned out.
“The Jubilee Fruitcake is a different flavor profile compared to our current selection,” is all she’ll say. “It will definitely mark a new chapter in our adventure.”
Contact Ju.D’s Fruitcakes via tel. nos. (0939) 934-7179, 8635-6688, or 8633-0808; follow @judsfruitcakes on Facebook
