Whether you’re keen to engage in the tradition of keeping the top tier of the wedding cake for the first christening or if it’s just for practical reasons we often get asked – How should I store my fruit cake?
Best to start with the baking and ‘feeding of your fruit cake’. You should bake your fruit cake off at least 3 months before you plan to use it. It should be baked in double layered greaseproof paper around the base and sides. Once out the oven leave the cake to cool to room temperature then apply a generous splash of Brandy (or your preferred tipple) all over the top of the cake. If you have any puddles then create a hole with a sharp prod allowing the puddle to soak into the cake. The cake should then be stored, still in the greaseproof paper, in a sealed bag somewhere cool and dry.
You should then ‘feed’ the cake with a generous splash of Brandy every week or so (better a little and often than big splashes when you forget!).
Once decorated and presented the cake should now be moist and delicious to be enjoyed by your guests. If tradition and practicalities require the cake to be stored further the best option is to freeze the cake.
To store the cake in the freezer you first need to wrap the decorated cake in two layers of greaseproof paper with an outer layer of tin foil. The cake could then be kept in the freezer indefinitely.
When you do come round to use it just take it out the freezer and allow it to completely defrost – about 24 hours at room temperature should be fine. It is likely that the decorative icing could be damaged as a result of the freezing process, but whether it has been or not we always recommend completely re-icing the cake. This allows you to check the cake for any signs of mould and for you to have a taste before your guests do!
Hope you’ve found this useful.
