Christmas Fruit Cake: How far in advance can it be made and how to store - CakeFlix (2024)

FAQs

Christmas Fruit Cake: How far in advance can it be made and how to store - CakeFlix? ›

Fruit cakes can be baked months in advance, the earlier the better! Keep it fed and well wrapped with parchment and foil and stored in an airtight tin. It can be fed every week right up to the week or two before you ice it. When feeding do one side one week, turn it over and do the other side the following week.

Up to 7 weeks out (or as close as the day before): Bake your fruitcakes. Let the cakes cool, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store the cakes at room temperature until ready to gift or eat.

Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper or baking parchment then wrap it in kitchen foil. Store cake in a second layer of foil or in an airtight tin.

The beauty of the fruit cake is that it can be made months in advance - in fact, the earlier the better! The most common length of time to mature your fruit cake for is 3 months, and as long as it has plenty of booze in it, it can keep for 6 months to a year when stored in the freezer!

This type of cake usually stores well in a cool, dry environment and although 6 weeks is preferable for storage, the cake can be stored for slightly longer in the correct conditions. However in warm and humid conditions there is a risk that the cake develops some mould, particulary if it is stored for a longer time.

Fortunately, there are some time-saving tips that will help you get ready to celebrate! Discover how far in advance you can bake a cake, as well as decorating and storage tips at Betty Crocker. Un-iced: If you don't need to ice your cake until the day, you can bake your cake at least 2-3 days ahead of time.

For best quality, a fruit cake that is tightly wrapped with aluminum foil or saran warp can be stored for up to 1 month in a cool, dark pantry, 6 months in the refrigerator, and 12 months in a freezer. Check often for signs of spoilage, and if mold or off-odors develop, discard the cake.

I like to wrap the cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and then in double foil. Secure it all with an elastic band, then keep it in an airtight container till needed.

We recommend wrapping your fruitcake in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil.

Should Christmas fruit cake be refrigerated? ›

Once a fruitcake has been aged it can be eaten or gifted. Otherwise, store it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Fruitcakes soaked in liquor can last for months or even years if you periodically add more liquor. Since alcohol kills bacteria, it slows down the spoiling process.

Our advice is to feed it once after it's initially baked, then no more than four times during the maturation period. Try a teaspoonful of whichever alcohol you've chosen before you begin feeding your cake to test its strength.

Cover the top of the cake with some extra greaseproof paper, and wrap well in cling film and tin foil, placing your cake somewhere safe to mature before decorating for Christmas. If you wish to feed your cake, keep it well wrapped for a couple of weeks, before unwrapping and poking a few holes into the top.

Some say you should make your Christmas cake 6 weeks before eating, but the advice given on Nigella.com is that 12 weeks before is the optimum time to get baking. Your Christmas cake should be fed every 4 to 6 weeks but in the meantime, after baking, it should be stored away in a secure, air tight container.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these seemingly indestructible pastries typically stay fresh for six months in the pantry and up to a year when refrigerated. But anecdotally we know that they can last for decades; some of the oldest have been preserved for more than a century.

Other good choices of booze include brandy, rum, or whiskey. Feel free to use one or a mix of these to best complement your fruitcake. Once you've chosen the liquor, bake the cake, poke holes throughout the whole thing, and pour a few tablespoons of the alcohol over it. Or, you can brush the cake with the alcohol.

You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December. (Consult this handy how-to guide to the matter.) Generally, most recipes will be best if baked and then frozen.

There's no hard and fast rule about when to ice your cake, but it's best to do it between 24 hours and a week ahead of the big day.

Edible decorations

Fondant or gum paste decorations can be made weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Chocolate decorations can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Traditionally in Victorian times, it was thought to be unlucky to cut the cake before dawn on Christmas Eve. I usually cut my cake on Christmas day, however it's usually still going in February before the remnant being finally thrown away in March when I get fed up of seeing it.