While traditional fruit cake is often associated with the holidays, it is really a tasty treat that can be enjoyed any time of the year. However, you may wonder a few things about this cake. What many people don’t realize is that the cooking of most fruit cakes should be started six to seven weeks before you actually want to give them away or enjoy them.
Common Fruit Cake Concerns
Most people have the same concerns about fruit cake. For example, can you keep it and still eat it after a few weeks of being stored? Also, many people have the misconception that all fruit cake tastes horrible.
The fact is, you can keep traditional fruit cake for several weeks. The batter used is full of butter, eggs, dense fruit, nuts and typically some type of alcohol. The candied and dried fruit used have low water activity, which means you don’t have to worry about bacteria growth. However, it is a good idea to unwrap the fruit cake every few days and brush it with a simple sugar syrup, brandy or rum.
Not all Fruit Cakes are Created Equal
Keep in mind, the taste of the fruit cake is going to depend on a number of factors. How it was made, who made it, how long it has been stored and other factors will impact the taste. Cakes that were made with dyed or sticky candied fruit and that are overly sweet have given fruit cake as a whole a pretty bad rap. When you get a fruit cake from someone who knows what they are doing, they are quite delicious.
If you are thinking about making, giving away or buying traditional fruit cake, it is helpful to know how long they will last. You can keep these tasty treats for several weeks without concern.
