Discovery+ Fruitcake Fraud is a delicious slice of holiday drama

As the holiday season begins, the fruitcake debate is often the center of the table. With the new discovery+ show, Fruitcake Fraud, the story is not about the techno-colored fruit adorning the classic holiday dessert. A secret ingredient was uncovered at the Collin Street Bakery, and it definitely wasn’t part of the recipe for success.

Fruitcake can be a contentious subject during the holiday season. From the jokes about the lone dessert being passed from person to person year after year to one person singing the praises of the dense, flavorful nut and fruit filled dessert, everyone has an opinion.

One of the most famous fruitcakes stems from Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. Their World Famous De-Luxe Fruitcake is legendary. Since 1896, the Texas bakery has stayed true to its original recipe. From the crunchy pecans to the combination of fruits, this legendary fruitcake has changed many people’s opinions on the controversial holiday dessert.

What secrets are revealed on Discovery+ Fruitcake Fraud?

While holiday food programming is full of baking competitions and holiday cheer, Fruitcake Fraud uncovers a dark side to the world famous fruitcake. Mixed into the crunchy pecans and sweet fruits was an ingredient that no one had ever imagined. It seemed that one person was cutting a slice of cake that was not part of the recipe.

Fruitcake Fraud tells the real story how over $16 million was stolen from Collin Street Bakery. Sandy Jenkins had an elaborate embezzlement scheme that had him manipulating the books, cutting fraudulent checks and otherwise scheming his employer out of millions of dollars. What should have been a thriving business was whittled away by a scheme of extreme proportions.

While this 90-minute document delves into the fraud and how the FBI eventually caught the thieves, the extravagance that Jenkins flaunted is what will make many people gasp. Not too many people have special names at Neiman Marcus. From the jewelry to the cars, the lifestyle was worthy of the rich and famous.

Even though this story is real, the audacity of the schemers can put any movie plot to shame. It goes to show that sometimes real life is stranger than fiction.

Whether you are a fruitcake fan or pass that holiday dessert onto someone else, Fruitcake Fraud on discovery+ is a delicacy to savor this holiday season. Sometimes the flavor to the best food comes from the secrets that aren’t always part of the infamous recipe.

Fruitcake Fraud can be streamed on discovery+. It debuted December 1.