Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi
A strange title, but last December I made a rich fruit cake, containing brandy, which I duly covered with marzipan and sugar paste. I have not yet used the cake, but imagined it would still be fine for consumption. That was, until yesterday, upon checking the cake to find a pool of yellowish oily substance, which I took be be the oils from the marzipan. I have wiped the oils from the cake card it’s sitting on and now am just wondering if the cake would be ok to eat. I stored the cake carefully covered in parchment paper, stored in a cardboard cake box. Any help would be very welcome thanks very much.

Hi bellescakes

The weeping could be from the fruit in the cake breaking down from a long maturing period. I had a similar thing once. Since you’ve already covered the cake, it will be best to take off all the marzipan and sugarpaste and inspect it for any odd smells or slime. Look for any mould by taking a plug with an apple corer from the bottom of the cake or the top if you prefer.. This will also help you identify any fermentation and odd smells. Taste some, if it tastes alright it’s fine. Pop the plug back in. You could freeze the cake until you need to decorate it. Hope this helps 🙂

Hi Madeitwithlove

Thanks so much for your response. I will give all thus a go and hope for the best. Xx

bellscakes, I hope it’s alright. I used to make my fruit cakes in August and I know several people who make them on Christmas Day for the following Christmas. There is a lot of fruit and sugar in theses cakes, and if well imbibed, the should keep for several years. 🙂