How to Mature a Fruitcake Quickly
How to Mature a Fruitcake Quickly
We know you don’t really need a reason to order fruitcake from the Collin Street Bakery. Our cakes are so dang tasty, they’re practically perfect for any occasion. But, if you’re looking for an excuse, we’re happy to help. How about because it’s a day ending in ‘Y’ --satisfied? Phew, glad we got that out of the way. So, as we said, our cakes are super tasty as is. In fact, most of our customers have a hard time NOT tearing into their cake the second it arrives. BUT, if you want to have a fruitcake eating experience that’s unlike any other, you may want to approach your fruitcake with a bit of patience.
Yes, we said patience. Just like a fine wine, the flavors of your Collin Street fruitcake only get better with time. Luckily for you, unlike wine, maturing your fruitcake doesn’t have to take decades or even years. It can actually be a relatively quick process if you know what to do. That’s why the fruitcake experts here at Collin Street Bakery are here to show you how to mature a fruitcake quickly.
Like Fine Wine, Fruitcake Get Better With Time
Learning how to age a fruitcake quickly can turn you into a superstar guest at any holiday party. But before you RSVP to bring dessert, you must plan ahead. Like we said, aging a fruitcake will take a little time. The most common duration to properly age a fruitcake is about three months. Any quicker will limit the development of complex flavors attributed to the maturing process. You can certainly age your cake for much longer than several months if you’d like, but we know how busy everyday life can be. So, we’re here to show you how to mature a fruitcake quickly.
Step 1: Soaking
In terms of flavor development, the first step in how to age a fruitcake quickly is arguably the most important. The soaking step is where you will soak (go figure) your fruitcake in your favorite boozy substance. Options to consider include bourbon, rum, or cognac. However, we’ve also heard of our customers using port, vodka, scotch, and even wine with success! The simplest way of soaking the entire cake is to use a skewer or fork to poke holes across the cake’s surface before carefully pouring onto it your spirit of choice. If you know yourself to be a heavy-handed pourer, then try this. Pre-measure your desired amount of liquor into a bowl and then taking a clean basting brush, evenly brush your cake till all the liquor has been used. This second approach will take a little longer but is more exact.
Step 2: Wrapping
After you soak your fruitcake, the next step of how to mature a fruitcake quickly is the wrapping process. The wrapping process is critical for aging as it encourages the liquor to stay inside the cake while limiting its exposure to the air. The first wrapping layer should be cheesecloth, followed by a layer of plastic wrap, and finished with a layer of foil. At this point, your cake is fully covered, but we also recommend returning the cake to an airtight container for an extra layer of protection.
Step 3: Time & Temperature
Timing and temperature are crucial steps in how to age a fruitcake quickly. After your cake has been soaked and wrapped, let it sit undisturbed at room temperature for at least one week. On its one week soaking-anniversary, go ahead and carefully unwrap your cake, and repeat steps one and two. Go ahead and set a reminder because this will be the weekly routine for the entire duration of the maturing process. This soaking and sitting process allows the flavors to build, creating complexity and depth inside your cake. In terms of temperature, maturing a fruitcake is best done at room temperature out of direct sunlight. If your cake gets too warm, it has a high likelihood of spoiling. The same can occur if you place your fruitcake in the refrigerator. The notion being, we don’t want the alcohol in the cake to turn and we don’t want the cake to remain too wet. It’s this delicate dance that when done well, turns your fruitcake into a flavorful feast.
Order Delicious Fruitcake at Collin Street Bakery
Now that you’ve learned all about how to mature a fruitcake quickly, you probably want to get to it, right? Trust us, we do too! At Collin Street Bakery, we provide customers the chance to taste our world-famous DeLuxe® Fruitcake. Packed full of delicious ingredients, our renowned fruitcake recipe has been adorned for over 125 years! In addition to our Regular DeLuxe® Fruitcake, we also carry a variety of other amazing fruitcake products, too, including our DeLuxe® Fruitcake Petites, Milk Chocolate DeLuxe® Fruitcake Petites, Sliced DeLuxe® Fruitcake, and more!
Order online today to try a slice of tradition!
