Bo-Jangles

Sometimes all the things you thought you knew about being a Domestic Goddess, just don't bloody work anymore in NZ and you have to retrain and re-qualify on some real basic stuff.

Storing a rich fruit cake for longevity, does anyone have any tips?

Our first year in NZ I made Ye Olde English style Christmas cake, I applied liberal amounts of alcohol, as you do, and then carefully wrapped the alcohol soaked cake in greaseproof paper and foil. I then left it for a few weeks to mature nicely in an airtight tin ...... or so I thought.

Fast forward to some weeks later, comes the big reveal and I found not the rich brown yummy smelling cake I was expecting, oh no, rather a gooey green, weeping, mouldy mess that had literally eaten through the tinfoil.

I should have thought about it a bit more I suppose, damp cake and warm humid weather clearly don't mix, so I never made one again...........until today that is.

So now what do I do? How should I store it, or perhaps we'll be eating approx six pounds of fruit cake this week.

yorkylass

Just buy one

luvwelly

I made one last year about 3 weeks in advance with zero probs but I suppose we are not as humid as you. It seems daft but I suppose you could keep it in the fridge or even freeze it?

I am buying one this year. It was delish last year though. I also drip fed the alcohol into it.

Was it truly an airtight tin? Is there such a thing? I would go for tupperware type stuff to be sure it is airtight.

luvwelly

The ones in the supermarket are really good value actually (Ernest Adams etc) but have weird spice combinations I find. Better than nixt though.

Bo-Jangles

I had thought also about the freezer but there's no room in there for a slice of cake let alone a whole one.

Sorry when I said tin, I didn't mean a tin, tin!! It would have been Tupperware - I wondered whether it might have contributed to the problem being too sweaty.

luvwelly

Fridge in a tupperware then I would say.
Hey what would Delia do?

mickey_d

If you Google it for NZ it appears the common method is airtight container & fridge.
We have a home-made Christmas Pud in the fridge sent from UK by the MIL 2 months ago....will let you know how we get on

shirl

Which reminds me off topic sorry, an Ernest Adams Cake that I completely forgot about in our larder for several weeks I was afraid to unwrap in case it was crawling with maggots or summat, but hey no, not a mark on it! Just looked the same as the day I bought it. Wonder what they put in that to make it look the same for that long a time, needless to say it was binned and not eaten. How much preservatives and worse still what chemicals might have been in it. I haven't bought one since!

luvwelly

LOL I just spent a fortune on 2 posh ones in Moore Wilsons. One with almond and icing and one just fruit(Thornalley). The almond one (word of mouth catering) is supposed to keep till May 2012. I don't think it is humid enough in my kitchen to need to keep it in the fridge so I'll risk it and just go with tupperware.

Bo-Jangles

Crikey, I have heard of some things coming across border control but a homemade Christmas pudding is a first? Lovely!! I reckon you could hide a multitude of things in there.

Thanks for the cake tips, it's sitting on the pantry floor at the moment, I expect fridhge will be the best way to go until I come to ice it. I just have to get my head around the idea of cake in the fridge.

Next question - ground almonds for marzipan, anyone know where from in sizeable quantities? I looked in New World and they only have piddly 70g bags for $2.91 and I have a rather substantial slab of cake to cover.

shirl

Try Binn Inn do they have one near you, I am sure they would sell stuff like that, you basically buy stuff like that and I think you can take your own container to put it in. Has to be cheaper methinks.

UKNZAUS

Bin Inn, there is the one at Brown's Bay. Are you on the Shore?

Bo-Jangles

Yeah, I guess I could go there at a push but I find that such a manky old shop!!

mickey_d

Ha ha, we get one every year, clearly labelled on the parcel, never had a problem yet in 6 years.
P.S. I hate it!!!! Love cake though

whitesand

I've tried to find a good ground almond shop and can't. Agree about those bin places. Don't fancy them myself. I just buy lots of those small packets. About four does my usual cakes.