How to Store Fruitcakes

Stored properly, a fruitcake can keep for a year or even longer.

Fruitcakes differ from other types of cake in that it needs time to develop its full flavor. The cake also lasts a lot longer than other varieties of cake, in part because some fruitcakes are saturated with alcohol, which helps preserve them. You can store a fruitcake for a year or even longer with the proper care. In some cases, fruitcakes will continue to mature and develop flavor as you store them.

Things You'll Need

• Cheesecloth
• Alcohol, such as brandy
• Plastic wrap or aluminum foil
• Tape (optional)
• Marker (optional)
• Larger zip-top freezer bag (optional)
• Freezer (optional)

Instructions

Pantry Storage

1. Soak a piece of cheesecloth in alcohol if you are storing a fruitcake made with liquor. You should use the same liquor to soak the cheesecloth as was used to make the cake.

2. Pour about 1 ounce of alcohol over the top of the fruitcake.

3. Wrap the alcohol-soaked cloth around the cake, as tightly as possible. Every inch of the cake should be covered in the cloth.

4. Stretch out a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil on a counter top. Place the cloth-wrapped cake on the center of the wrap or foil and roll the plastic wrap or foil around the cake. The wrap or foil should go around the cake at least twice.

5. Set the cake in a dry, cool, dark spot, such as the back of a cabinet or drawer.

6. Leave the cake there for a few months, or up to several years. Check the cake occasionally, re-soaking the cheesecloth with alcohol as needed. Don't let the cloth dry out completely.

Freeze Fruitcake

1. Stretch out a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place the fruitcake in the center of it.

2. Wrap the foil or plastic wrap around the cake, going around the cake at least twice. Every inch of the cake should be covered in the wrap or foil.

3. Tape the wrap closed and slide the wrapped cake into a plastic freezer bag.

4. Label the cake with the name and date you're placing it in the freezer. Fruitcake will keep for up to a year in the freezer, but won't develop flavor as it would when stored wrapped in an alcohol soaked cloth.

References

• "The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook"; 2001
• Eilen Berger Bakery: Tips for Storing a Fruitcake