Fruitcake (or fruit cake or fruit bread) is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are typically served in celebration of weddings and Christmas.

You can either soak cheesecloth in brandy, bourbon, whiskey, rum or other liquor and then wrap it around the cooked, cooled fruitcake before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing, or simply brush the cake with an alcohol of your choice and wrap tightly.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that fruitcake will last two to three months in the refrigerator without spoiling, and will maintain its quality if stored up to a year in the freezer. For example, mold could grow on the surface of a fruitcake, or yeast could cause some of the sugars in the fruitcake to ferment.

Yes, to freeze: wrap fruitcake tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag. How long does fruitcake last in the freezer? Properly stored, it will maintain best quality for about 12 months, but will remain safe beyond that time.

Wrap the fruit cake tightly in a double layer of freezer-safe plastic wrap. Wrap the a layer of aluminum foil around the the cake to further prevent air exposure and minimize freezer burn. Place the wrapped fruitcake in a 0-degree Fahrenheit freezer. Store the frozen fruitcake for up to 1 year.

The alcohol you use to age your fruit cake is also up to you. You have a choice of white rum, spiced rum, brandy, whiskey, cognac or liqueurs like Grand Marnier. 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 possible to overfeed your cake, which will make it stodgy and wet. Our advice is to feed it once after it’s initially baked, then no more than four times during the maturation period.

Fruitcakes are traditionally aged in a cloth wrapping of alcohol for at least five weeks. The alcohol preserves the cakes, fruits, and nuts within, and keeps everything moist.

Using your serrated knife, slice the fruitcake into two equal halves. If your knife is long enough, you will be able to slice the cake in half in one cut. NOTE: Even though we are using a serrated knife, do not saw the cake. This will cause the cake to crumble.

The oven temperature is too high. If the top crust forms and sets before the cake has finished rising, the middle will try to push through the crust as it continues to bake, causing it to crack and possibly dome. Check your oven with an oven thermometer and reduce the temperature accordingly if it is running hot.