Baked fruitcake is a classic Christmas dessert. It’s delicious, moist, and full of flavor. However, there are a few things you should know before buying fruit cake.
You might think that baked fruitcake is a simple treat, but it has its own set of rules.
Here are some tips on how to store fruit cake properly.
The best way to keep your fruitcake fresh for as long as possible is by wrapping the whole thing in plastic freezer wrap or wrap your fruitcake with aluminum foil.
This will prevent air from getting into the cake which can cause mold growth.
You may also want to put the wrapped cake inside an old box with holes cut out so that moisture doesn’t get trapped under the lid. If you don’t have any boxes around, then use newspaper instead.
How Long Can You Keep Fruit Cake at Room Temperature?
If you’re planning to give away this gift during the holidays, make sure to plastic wrap it well enough so that no one gets their hands on it until after New Year’s Day.
Furthermore, if you plan to serve it cold, be careful not to let anyone touch it while it’s still warm because they could easily burn themselves.
When storing extra fruitcake at room temperature, try to avoid putting it near heat sources like radiators or ovens.
This is especially important when making fruitcakes using butter-based dough since these type of cake tend to dry out faster than those made with flour.
Otherwise, you’ll be stuck eating stale cake all year round!
Hence, we recommend keeping your fruitcake stored in a cool place such as the refrigerator where temperatures stay between 35° F – 45° F.
However, even though refrigeration slows down the drying process, it won’t stop it completely.
So, once you’ve taken your fruitcake out of the fridge, allow it to come back up to room temperature slowly over several hours.
What About Freezing Your Fruit Cake?
Freezing isn’t recommended unless you really need to preserve your cake for additional time.
The reason being is that freezing causes water molecules to expand and contract more rapidly than sugar molecules do. As a result, ice crystals form within the cake causing it to become hard and brittle.
Plus, frozen fruits lose much of their natural sweetness. Hence, you’d end up having to add extra sweeteners to compensate for the loss of taste.
So, if you decide to freeze your flavorful cake, take care to remove it from the freezer about 15 minutes prior to serving. Otherwise, you risk ruining the texture of the cake.
How Does Fruit Cake Last So Long?
There are two main reasons why people love alcohol-covered fruitcakes:
- first, it tastes great;
- second, it lasts forever.
While both of these claims seem too good to be true, they actually aren’t. In fact, fruit cake contains ingredients that help prolong the shelf life of fruitcake.
These include dried fruits, nuts, raisins, candied peel, spices, eggs, milk powder, yeast extract, honey, molasses, vanilla essence, lemon juice, citric acid, and baking soda.
In addition, there are other factors that contribute to how long fruit cake keeps. For example, some recipes call for adding alcohol to enhance flavor.
However, this ingredient has been known to accelerate spoilage due to its high concentration of ethyl acetate.
Other tips to consider include choosing a recipe that uses less fat and sugar, ensuring that the batter is mixed thoroughly before cooking, and avoiding excessive handling of the finished product.
How to Tell If Fruitcake Has Gone Bad
The best way to tell whether your fruitcake has gone bad is by looking at the color.
When fresh, most fruit cakes should have an off-white/yellowish appearance. But, if yours turns brown, then chances are it’s already spoiled.
You can also check the consistency of the cake. A soft cake will feel spongy whereas a firm cake will hold together firmly.
Also, look closely at any cracks on the surface of the cake. Cracks indicate moisture trapped inside which means the cake could go moldy very quickly.
Hence, if you’re not sure what to expect when opening your Christmas gift, don’t worry. Just follow our simple guidelines above and you shouldn’t run into any problems.
And remember, never leave food unattended or open containers near heat sources. This includes ovens, stoves, hot plates, etc.