Why You Can Revive Fruitcake That's Been Sitting For Years

In many parts of the world, fruitcake is considered a festive holiday treat. Unlike anything else served at Christmas, you could bake a delicious fruitcake with rum and ginger one December, eat half of it, put the other half in storage, and then break it out again the following Christmas. And that's without any preservation tricks.

This is due to the ingredients; in particular, the alcohol present in most fruitcake recipes. Many traditional recipes will call for something like rum, brandy, whiskey, or triple sec, sometimes up to a cup of liquor. The alcohol adds flavor, but it also kills off bacteria and mold by creating a more acidic environment that prevents it from growing. Because of this, alcohol-free fruitcakes, including store-bought ones, won't last as long.

The large volume of dried fruit and nuts in fruitcake also plays a role. These ingredients lack moisture, which is essential for bacterial reproduction. The density of fruitcake helps too. A lack of air pockets inside the cake prevents pathogens from proliferating. Essentially, the mix of dried fruit and alcohol creates a strong defense against mold and decay.

Although fruitcake lasts a lot longer than other types of cakes, there's no definitive answer on how long you should keep it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends one month on the shelf, six in the refrigerator, or a year in the freezer. However, this might be a pretty conservative estimate.

Some food scientists say fruitcake is fine after years of storage, arguing that older fruitcakes can be better. The dried fruit ages in a way that's similar to wine, with the tannins from the fruit seeping into the cake and deepening its flavor profile. However, bear in mind that fruitcake contains eggs and butter, which has proteins that may go rancid over a long storage time, especially if they're exposed to air. These ingredients won't necessarily make you sick, but it won't be pleasant eating.

At its most extreme, a 106-year-old fruitcake was discovered in Antarctica in 2017 and believed to have been almost edible. Still, it's better to play it safe. Store it according to USDA guidelines and keep an eye out for mold and other problems. If you've used a good amount of alcohol, it's likely good for a year, but use your senses to make sure that you're not eating an expired cake that can make you sick.

There's are a few ways to make your fruitcake last. A popular method involves wrapping the cake up tightly in cheesecloth or a similar fabric — ideally, one that's soaked in alcohol such as rum or brandy. Put the wrapped cheesecake in an airtight container. If that's not an option, then you can wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. You'll generally want to "feed" your fruitcake to keep it moist, which means unwrapping it and brushing it with a few tablespoon of liquor every week or so then rewrap when you're done.

If your fruitcake has dried out but you want to serve it, that's no problem. Your fruitcake may not have actually gone dry, but rather, that the moisture has crystallized inside. You can melt the crystals and get a moist cake again by wrapping it in foil and putting it in an oven on a low temperature, around 130 degrees Fahrenheit. You could also poke holes in the cake and put it in a pan along with your choice of liquor — rum, brandy, and whiskey are excellent options. Heat it slowly and the liquor will soak up, giving you a deliciously moist piece of cake.