Gladys' Bakery

I used to pass by their old place in the 70's, enchanted by the thought of a mystical fruitcake from the middle of nowhere (Cistern TX at that time). Finally, forty-plus years later I actually remembered to look them up and order some. Now, I usually make my own family's 100+ year old recipe, but was too busy to do it this year. That's why I thought of this. It's not at all the same. Neither is better than the other ... both are equally good in their own right. If you are used to a spiced fruitcake, this is not that. But it is not bland either. It is very tasty and is quite satisfying on the palate. In fact, I LOVE IT, just as much as I love my own. It seems a bit pricey, but then again, if you've ever made fruitcake, it's pretty pricey to make as well. I'll be ordering it again. It was just what I needed, a little bit of Texas to enhance my lackluster NC Christmas.

Perhaps the other baked goods they offer are better, but I found Old Fashioned Czech Fruitcake to be much less than impressive. While it is beautifully decorated, it's absolutely void of flavor. It simply tastes like a bunch of pecans bound together. There is not even a hint of spice or flavoring. The candied fruit is also flavorless. Like most Southern-style fruitcakes, it's not been infused with liquor or wine, so that flavor is also factored out. On a good note, it's not overly sweet. It's advertised for those who don't like fruitcake. If you do like fruitcake, you probably won't like this one. Just buy a bag of pecans from the store and eat them plain.

Glady's fruitcake has done it again. I took her fruitcake to a meeting and it was devoured and raved about. Now these are people who like fruitcake and their yardstick is fruitcake from the Collin St. bakery in Corsicana. Don't get me wrong, Collin St.'s cake is very good, but, to a person, they all thought that the Glady's Bakery cake was even better. Gladys' cake is one of a kind superb.