I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. You may opt to use your fruit of preference, such as raisin, walnuts, and dates. Brush 1-2 tablespoons over the cake immediately it is removed from the oven. And often not all of the Christmas cake gets eaten at Christmas time and this leaves the need to keep it longer. I used to make a good fruitcake last most of term time when I went away to school. I been wanting a fruit cake for a few years. Frost cakes close to serving time (not ahead of time). Ps. The key step that makes this so much faster to make than other fruit cakes is the fruit soaking step.Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. Add moisture to a dry cake: A Cheese cloth can be immersed in a liquid like fruit juice, alcohol or syrup. This adds moisture and flavor. In fact, make it a rich fruit cake! Bear in mind that if you aren’t feeding it with alcohol then the cake won’t keep for as long, so bake it the same week that you want to serve it. that wouldn't work with the tea or OJ. In the Classic Christmas Cake, would use fruit juice to soak the fruits. Choosing Alcohol for Fruitcake. I recommend re-soaking the cheesecloth every week or so, or whenever it is dry. And drinking homemade boiled custard, not eggnog, but boiled custard. How long does fruitcake last in the fridge? If desired, place cake, wrapped in a wine-soaked cloth, in an airtight container. On inspection the fruit is still moist and looks, smells and tastes ok. Traditionally the top tier should be re-iced and used as a christening cake. Fruit cakes (light ones, not Christmas /wedding cakes) may keep for up to 10 days or longer - the more fruit it contains the longer it will keep. These also keep for a shorter length of time, and the alcohol soaks into the cake in a different way. I am fine with baking it with tea instead of alcohol to soak the fruit, but I'm concerned about how long it will need to mature. This could be orange, red grape or prune. Since I wasn’t sure how a homemade one would turn out, I ordered one from Swiss Colony. Bake at 275° for 3 hours. Store in a cool place for several weeks; this blends and mellows the cake. Alcohol is a preservative and I can tell you (from experience!) Usually I would make it months in advance, but I'm worried about it going off without the… And yet, my kids were never fond of fruit cake … Cool. Tip to remember with marzipan: I think it just makes Christmas more complete for me. Decorate with pecan halves and finish baking. You have a choice of white rum, spiced rum, brandy, whiskey, cognac or liqueurs like Grand Marnier. Traditionally made months in advance of a celebration, like Christmas or a wedding, cakes with fruit soaked in alcohol, are festive and rustic. I wouldn’t feed the cake with anything; just make it ahead so it has time to mature. As with wine, fruit cakes improve in taste as they age. If you want to make the cake rich, you should soak the fruit in alcohol for a minimum of three months. It needs to have 1/2 cup of sugar for every cup of juice/water/tea. It can sit for several months. I make Jamican rum fruit cakes at Christmas and have some alcohol soaked dried fruits (raisins/currants/candied peel etc) from last December. From time to time i pour a little on it to maintain moisture. An easy to make fruit cake with mixed dried fruit like cranberries, currants, and raisins. Hi! While you can feed either type of fruitcake, you’ll want to keep an eye on how the alcohol is absorbed and stop when they’ve had enough. How to Make a Fruit Cake. To make this vegan Christmas cake alcohol free, soak the fruit in the same quantity of orange juice. prevents it going off). If you soak your fruit in orange or apple juice before you start, it should stay moist. The numbers are similar for dried fruit, up to 1 month in the pantry, up to 6 months refrigerated. Cover the fruit cake with the cloth and place it in the refrigerator. Grand Marnier happens to be my aging liquor of choice because its citrus flavor goes well with the citrus notes in the fruit cake. It's always fine kept in an air tight cake tin or wrapped up in parchment and cling film then placed in a freezer bag. In fact we have just recently finished eating our second Christmas cake! For those who like a well-brandied cake, a little 'feeding' of the cake at odd intervals (say, weekly) before Christmas will add an extra dimension to it. The best fruit cakes are matured for at least a month and moistened or ‘fed’ from time to time with alcohol such as sherry, Madeira or brandy. The cake does take a long time to bake – up to five hours, because it needs to be baked at a really low temperature to ensure that it bakes all the way through without burning. Fruit cake is a traditional British Christmas cake that is full of fruits and nuts and laced with alcohol, usually brandy. True, but I grew up eating homemade fruit cake and blackberry jam cake at Christmas. Secure it all with an elastic band, then keep it in an airtight container till needed. One-half hour before cake is done, brush top with corn syrup. The cakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. This gives the fruit cake a subtle brandy flavor and a moist texture, plus it also allows the fruit cake to be stored for a long time. Give the cake 2 doses of this syrup one week apart and serve the cake within a month. A day before, or even a week or month before making the cake, soak your fruits in the alcohol. I settled for the lighter versions of fruit cake which is almost like a pound cake or a butter cake filled with dried fruit … I like to wrap the cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and then in double foil. that a rich fruit cake, regularly *fed* with alcohol will keep for much, much longer than just one year I agree, remove any marzipan/icing; wrap well in greaseproof paper and foil (in the olden days, it would have been waxed paper and newspaper) and it will last for several years. This cake WAS one of the cakes that I didn’t dare to try making. it was deliciously matured and full of the aroma of the alcohol and fruit. The alcohol you use to age your fruit cake is also up to you. Christmas fruit cake without alcohol. A classic Christmas fruit cake, the English style is indeed a nice kind of cake to have for the holidays. Check liquored-soaked cakes periodically and re-wrap in liquor soaked cloth. The BEST Rich Fruit Cake Recipe - Fruit Cake Recipes - Fruitcake recipes. This article explains how to store a Christmas cake, whether it be prior to or after the Christmas occasion. How long it will last will depend on the cake. Here the post speaks in detail about both alcohol rich and non- alcoholic (juice based) fruit soaking methods and its shelf life and more. Brandy, rum or sherry are the suggested alcohols to use for soaking your fruit and topping the cake. Fill pan 2/3 full with batter. Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat. For very long storage, bury the liquor-soaked cake in powdered sugar and place in a tightly covered tin in a cool place (fruit cakes can be enjoyed as long as 25 years this way.) Alcohol: medium sherry, dark rum, whisky, brandy or orange-flavoured liqueur are the usual flavours for fruit cakes. how long will cake last after icing by: Anonymous Once you have iced your fruit cake there is no need to refrigerate. This could be orange, red grape or prune. Properly stored, freshly baked fruitcake will last for about 1 month at normal room temperature. The simmering of the fruit with the alcohol, butter and orange juice will ensure the fruit is plump and juicy. The USDA does not indicate how long you can keep fruitcake in a hut in Antarctica. Since this fruit cake … Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven, as follows: about 60 minutes for the individual cakes; 65 to 70 minutes for the small loaves; 75 minutes for the medium loaves, and 2 hours + 10 to 15 minutes for the 9" x 5" loaves. You can use a fruit syrup if you must avoid alcohol. I don’t like the taste of eggnog. Check the cloth once in awhile and make sure that it is … Heavy fruit cakes, as long as they are well wrapped will keep well for months. And here’s how the making part goes down. Freshly baked fruitcake will keep well for about 6 months in the fridge when properly stored; when refrigerating, cover with foil or plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag to prevent cake from drying out. How long does an ordinary fruit cake without alcohol last? The reason that works is that the alcohol and sugar content keep bugs from feeding on the cake (i.e. Remove the cakes from the oven. The process and the long list of ingredients put me off, not to mention that your girl here (Me) do not consume alcohol. A reasonably strong spirit (around 40% ABV) with a warm, fiery flavour will compliment the flavour of the cake, and help to preserve the cake, so it will keep for longer. Traditionally, bakers would use a lot of dried fruits and sweetened orange peels. Commonly Asked Fruit Cake Baking Questions: When should I starting baking fruit cake? In all cases the cake needs to be well wrapped to preserve its freshness. For example, if your cake leaves a damp patch on your work surface, stop feeding it for a couple of weeks. The one thing you absolutely must make for Christmas is a fruit cake. Admittedly it got a bit dry after about 8 weeks though. A hard-core old-time fruitcake, made with lots and lots of dried fruit and soaked in alcohol, tightly wrapped, will probably be safe for six months or more in the freezer. Just a quick question about making an alcohol free fruit cake. How long to soak the fruit in alcohol. It could be that you'll have to settle for making a cake much nearer christmas so it doesn't have the time to go off. It will last for years- especially if it was soaked in booze first. Black cakes infused with alcohol can last a very very long time in a closed container Yumm These fruit cakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks (or longer!). Here comes a detailed post on how to soak dry fruits for Christmas fruit cake (plum cake) either in alcohol or juice and how long to soak and how to store the prepared fruit mix. A really bready one, like most grocery-store fruitcakes, will develop freezer-burn after a month or two. I soaked them in dark rum and sherry with a little dark brown sugar, put them in a plastic food container, covered it with cling film and secured the lid. How to make Christmas Cake. What is the best alcohol to put in a Christmas cake? Simmer and use after the cake has baked and cooled competely. A fruit cake recipe without alcohol. In doing so the cake absorbs the wine and the flavor of what ever alcohol is poured on it is very delicious. 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