How To Feed And Store A Christmas Cake | Doves Farm | Organic Flours & Food (2024)

Many celebratory cakes such as Traditional Christmas Cakeand Wholemeal Dundee Fruit Cakeare densely packed with fruit and often made in advance then wrapped and left to ‘mature’ for a few weeks or months. The popular custom of feeding the cake periodically with small amounts of alcohol can help to keep the cake soft and add extra flavour. This is done using a pointed teaspoon or cake syringe. Lighter spongier fruit cakes, which contain less sugar, can also be fed although they will not keep so long.

skewer or BBQ stick, pointed teaspoon or cake syringe, greaseproof or parchment paper, kitchen foil and airtight container

Traditional Christmas Cake
Rum
Brandy
Whisky
Orange liqueur or Amaretto

To Feed the Cake

1. Unwrap your cake, turn it upside down and peel off any baking paper.
2. Using a skewer or BBQ stick, prick a series of holes all over the bottom of the cake.
3. Measure out 10ml of your chosen alcohol and using the tip of a pointed teaspoon drip a little alcohol into each hole.
4. OR fill a cake syringe with 10ml of your chosen alcohol, put the tip of the syringe into each hole and press a tiny amount of alcohol into each one.
5. Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper or baking parchment then wrap it in kitchen foil.
6. Store cake in a second layer of foil or in an airtight tin.
7. You can repeat the feeding process every couple of weeks for three or four feeds. However, if the cake makes the work surface damp, appears wet or stodgy, discontinue feeding.

To Serve the Cake

1. The cake can be served naked.
2. If you plan to ice the Christmas Cake with marzipan, and fondant, royal icing or vegan royal icing, leave it to rest for a week after its last feed.
3. Once cut, Christmas cakes will store well if wrapped and kept in an airtight container.
4. For longer storage of Christmas cakes wrap closely in kitchen foil and freeze.
5. To serve an iced fruit cake that has been stored for a long time, unwrap it and remove the old icing and marzipan. Check the cake still tastes good, then cover with fresh marzipan and icing.