How long can you keep a home made xmas cake

debidoodle · 8 October 2009 at 8:43PM

I am looking for some advice regarding xmas cakes, last November I made 4 cakes for the family. While clearing & cleaning the kitchen cupboards I have found a cake which has been kept in an airtight container full of booze and marzipaned that I did not give to a family member as they were away for xmas.

My question is how long can you keep a xmas cake and do you think it will be okay to use this year?

In all honesty the cake smells lovely and appears okay, although the marzipan is quite soft.
MTIA
Debbie

zippychick · 8 October 2009 at 8:58PM

I am sure it is fine Debbie - here's a thread I found about christmas cake lastability! Think the answer is feed it some brandy

milliemonster · 8 October 2009 at 8:58PM

I would check that there is no mould that has grown between the marzipan and the fruit cake as it is the jam you use to stick the marzipan to the cake that can go off after a while.

An uniced/unmarzipanned fruit cake will last for months and months (and be better for it) but once you put jam and marzipan/icing on, it can then start to grow mould after a while.

If there are no signs of mould under the marzipan then it should be fine

debidoodle · 8 October 2009 at 9:50PM

Thanks ZC and MM, I have chopped the top of the cake off and there was no growth under the marzipan, have drizzled more booze and wrapped it in greaseproof paper. The cake smells lovely and feels moist so I am going to use it this year, one less job for me to think about.

pinkparrott · 8 October 2009 at 10:03PM

Hi we found a christmas cake that my mum had forgotten about

when we moved house, it was about 3 years ols and we ate it and its was fine and really nice.

Not sure i would do it now though, but we ate anything when wew were kids.

Patchwork_Quilt · 8 October 2009 at 11:32PM

I bet it will be the best one you've ever had. However, it reminds me of last year, when I made a couple of cakes in October, as you do, to test out the new oven. I took the test cake to a Christmas Eve party and offered it to my friend's husband. "Mm," he said. "This is lovely." "Yes," I said, "I made it in October." He turned pale and was about to spit it out when his wife stepped in and told him that was what you did with Christmas cake.

So perhaps you'd better not mention that it's a well matured cake, however lovely it is.

debidoodle · 9 October 2009 at 8:23PM

Thanks ladies I will only feed it to hubby

debidoodle · 9 October 2009 at 8:24PM

Thanks ladies I will only feed my "extra mature"

xmas cake to hubby :eek: he eats anything and never complains :rotfl:

JayJay14 · 9 October 2009 at 11:02PM

There should be no difference with Christmas cake and Wedding cakes.

I was married in June 1980 and used the top tier for DD1's Christening in August 1984 - I kept it in a cardboard box (though it was well sealed in my Mum's royal icing) I stripped all the icing and marzipan off and re did it all.

It was lovely.

ClaireLR · 9 October 2009 at 11:06PM

Oooooh how could you forget about a Christmas cake!! In my house it would have been found, and eaten, a long time before now!

Does anyone have a recipe they could pass on? Tried for the past 2 years to do HM Christmas puds (don't ask about the results

) so thought I might have better luck with an Xmas cake this year

Doe_G · 6 November 2013 at 5:47PM

Christmas cake that's delicious and not exceptionally dark. Found on the Delia online website.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

How long can you keep a home made xmas cake

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