An endless market-Demand is heavy for Trappist monks' fruitcake

AVA, Mo. -- When the monks of Assumption Abbey could no longer support themselves by producing cement blocks, they decided to make fruitcake.

Fifteen years and thousands of cakes later, there is no denying the little monastery and its 12 monks have created a niche market.

Some find humor in the transition, acknowledges the Rev. Anthony Sloan.

"Sure there have been jokes, but I think anyone who has tasted our fruitcake would agree that they are moist and delicious," he said.

Assumption Abbey is one of 17 Trappist monasteries in the United States supported through the production and sale of specialized foods. The modest bakery is running at full capacity now, with orders being shipped to stores and individuals across the country, Canada and Europe.

"I just shipped five cakes to Great Britain," said Sloan, who runs the bakery.

The monks will have made 31,544 cakes when their 11-month baking period ends this month. The abbey expects to sell each of the $26 cakes -- and turn away potential customers -- with no advertising.

One bite of the rich, moist cake with a kick of rum is all many people need. Some customers send notes and e-mails of thanks. Many admit to buying extras because they can't restrain themselves.

The monks' business in rural Ava, about 30 miles north of the Arkansas border in southwest Missouri, depends on a delicate balance between monastic life -- marked by contemplation, study and worship -- and making a living.

Despite the jokes

While Trappist monks take a vow of poverty, they must provide for themselves through life's journey. So they have found a way to integrate high-speed modems and toll-free telephone lines into their life of contemplation and solitude.

"It's amazing how fruitcake seems to have an endless market, even though people make a lot of jokes about them," said the Rev. Mark Scott, abbot of Assumption Abbey.

Life in the cloister is rooted in simplicity, but the struggle to make a living in the rocky, rolling Ozarks hills has not been easy. The monks took up farming when Assumption Abbey opened in 1950 but had little success.

They switched to making cement blocks in the 1960s. Then in the '80s the industry underwent a shakeout and it became clear only the large firms were going to survive.

With reservations, the monks switched to fruitcakes in 1987.

After a modest first year that resulted in 6,000 cakes, production has increased steadily. Now the monastery's bakery is running at full capacity, turning cakes out of the oven 125 at a time.

The monks use an exclusive recipe created by St. Louis pastry chef Jean-Pierre Auge, who once was employed by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. He gave them eight recipes, and they settled on one.

It calls for 70 percent fruit and nuts to 30 percent batter. A mixture of cherries, raisins and pineapple is marinated for three days in burgundy wine.

Monks wearing aprons over their black robes labor in the bakery two hours in the morning, mixing the batter and baking the cakes in the 300-degree oven. The finished cakes are decorated with four pecan halves -- carefully placed to form a cross -- and injected with an ounce of Puerto Rican rum.

The work is relatively simple, allowing the monks to free their minds for prayer and Scripture reflection, Brother Simin Praep said.

"It's enjoyable work," he said.

Won't automate

The abbey's biggest customer is San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma Inc., which has ordered 13,000 cakes this year. Founder Chuck Williams said he became hooked in 1988 after receiving one as a gift.

"It really is good," said Williams. "I don't know how they do it."

The monks could sell more fruitcakes, but they do not want to automate or hire outside workers.

"Our monastic life carries over into the bakery," Sloan said. "Our goal is not to be rich. We can only make a certain amount of fruitcakes."