For Texas bakery, the traditional holiday fruitcake is no joke

CORSICANA, Texas — In a holiday full of classic confections — candy canes, gingerbread and sugarplums — there's one that's showing up less often: fruitcake.

CORSICANA, Texas — In a holiday full of classic confections — candy canes, gingerbread and sugarplums — there's one that's showing up less often: fruitcake.

The treat's been on fewer and fewer dessert tables in recent decades. That may be thanks in part to Johnny Carson's declaration years ago: “The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”

But fruitcake has been at historic events for centuries, including Princess Diana and King Charles’ wedding and a trip to the moon on Apollo 11.

Today, more than 2 million fruitcakes are sold in the United States each year, with 20,000 a day coming from one small town in Texas. The bakery has its home in Corsicana, a town about 50 miles south of Dallas.

Collin Street Bakery.Michale Huntting / NBC NewsCollin Street Bakery has been in the fruitcake business for over 125 years. “I promise you this. If every American had Collin Street Bakery’s fruitcake at Christmas, then today every household would have a fruitcake still at Christmas, because ours is very different,” said Thomas McNutt.