TEc*msEH, Mich. (AP) — Some families pass down jewelry, watches or even recipes. But a Michigan family has its own heirloom: a 141-year-old fruitcake.
“It’s a great thing,” said Julie Ruttinger, the great great granddaughter of Fidelia Ford, who baked the cake in 1878. “It was tradition. It’s a legacy.”
The cake was initially preserved to honor Ford. She established a tradition of baking the cake and letting it age for a year before serving it during holiday seasons. Ford died at age 65 before her 1878 cake could be eaten, and by the time the holidays arrived, the family considered her handiwork a legacy, not food.
Until his 2013 death, the cake was in the care of Ruttinger’s father, Morgan Ford, who was Fidelia Ford’s great-grandson. He had stored it in an antique glass dish on the top shelf of a china cabinet in his Tec*mseh home — which is where it remains today.
“He took care of it to the day he left the earth,” Ruttinger said. “We knew it meant a lot to him.”
Guinness World Records doesn’t have an entry for the oldest fruitcake, but as for cakes in general, the Ford fruitcake is nowhere near the world’s oldest, The Detroit News reported. That honor goes to a 4,176-year-old cake that was found in an Egyptian tomb, according to the Guinness organization. It is on display in a food museum in Switzerland.
During the 93 years that Morgan Ford held on to his family’s fruitcake, he showed it off at church and family gatherings and shared stories about its history with younger relatives. He even showcased the cake on “The Tonight Show” in December 2003, taking a bite with the host and saying it tasted like thrashed wheat.
“He really enjoyed sharing the joy of the cake,” said another of his daughters, Sue Durkee. “He took a lot of pride in it.”
FAQs
A 141-year-old fruitcake, baked by Fidelia Ford, in 1878, sits in the home of Dorothy Ford, in Tec*mseh, Mich. Fidelia died before the cake was served and the family, out of respect of her memory, decided not to eat it and has instead passed it down for generations.
What is the oldest fruitcake in the world? ›
Even older is the fruitcake left behind in Antarctica by the explorer Robert Falcon Scott in 1910. But the honor for the oldest known existing fruitcake goes to one that was baked in 1878 when Rutherford B. Hayes was president of the United States.
How long does it take for a fruit cake to age? ›
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.
What is the life of a fruit cake? ›
Nowadays fruitcakes are a holiday delicacy still prized for their long-lasting freshness. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these seemingly indestructible pastries typically stay fresh for six months in the pantry and up to a year when refrigerated.
What is the history of fruitcake at Christmas? ›
Richer families that had ovens began making fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste, for Easter. For Christmas, they made a similar cake using seasonal dried fruit and spices. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the Wise Men. This cake became known as "Christmas cake."
Can you eat 10 year old fruitcake? ›
"In practical terms, this makes most fruitcakes extremely shelf stable, so they would be safe to eat for a long time – a really long time," Chapman says. "But it might taste pretty bad."
Is fruit cake edible after 100 years? ›
Even if you are ambivalent about the fruit cake, it has been part of Quebec holiday traditions for several generations.
What alcohol is best in fruitcake? ›
Evenly pour 1.5 - 2 ounces of your favorite bourbon, rum, brandy, or cognac, over the fruitcake.
Should fruitcake be refrigerated? ›
For best quality, a fruit cake that is tightly wrapped with aluminum foil or saran warp can be stored for up to 1 month in a cool, dark pantry, 6 months in the refrigerator, and 12 months in a freezer. Check often for signs of spoilage, and if mold or off-odors develop, discard the cake.
What two ingredients help fruitcake last longer? ›
Fruitcake lasts longer than most other cakes because it is filled with nuts and candied fruit. It will last even longer if you sprinkle it with a spirit like brandy.
In The Early 1700s, Fruitcakes Were Outlawed In Europe
Over the centuries, people added increasingly sweeter ingredients to their fruitcakes until the cakes became decadence incarnate, which was morally wrong and thus made illegal.
Is fruitcake good for you? ›
We might like to pretend, based on its name, that fruitcake is a reasonably healthy sweet option, however this is not the case. Fruitcake tends to have high butter, sugar and syrup content, making it high in both fat and calorie content. The same goes for Panettone- the Italian bread that has become a holiday favorite.
What does fruitcake mean in slang? ›
Slang. a crazy or eccentric person; nut.
Why do fruitcakes last so long? ›
What typically makes fruitcake last so long is its super dense texture. This texture prevents, let's say, less than appetizing things from setting up camp in the cake's crevices. Additionally, a lot of the ingredients in our fruitcakes are dried or glaceéd, so they don't contain much moisture.
What country eats fruit cake for Christmas? ›
Canada. The fruitcake is commonly eaten during the Christmas season in Canada. Rarely is it seen during other times of the year. The Canadian fruitcake is similar in style to the UK version.
How long should fruitcake be aged? ›
Fruitcakes are typically aged for weeks, even months, during which they're regularly bathed with liquor for added moisture and flavor. But for some “regular” cakes, you can wrap them tightly and let them sit for a few days, rather than a few months, before slicing.
What is the oldest cake in the world? ›
The world's oldest known cake, baked during the reign of Pepi II in Egypt between BCE 2251 and 2157. Alimentarium, Vevey, Switzerland. The Egyptians gave us the world's oldest known cake–and also the world's oldest Tupperware as it happens.
What is the oldest fruit in the world? ›
The jujube, aka the Chinese date, is one of the oldest known cultivated fruits in global history, dating back to the Neolithic Age, which began in roughly 10,000 B.C. For reference, the Neolithic era is also referred to as the "New Stone Age," and it's the point in human history when people first started making stone ...
What is the oldest form of cake? ›
Yeast cakes are the oldest and are very similar to yeast bread. Such cakes are often very traditional in form and include such pastries as babka and stollen.
How old is the oldest wedding cake? ›
Creation made in 1898 even survived World War II bomb blast. Most wedding cakes barely survive the big day, with maybe just one slice being popped in a box to be preserved for posterity. This one, however, is still intact after 113 years, making it what is thought to be the world's oldest complete wedding cake.
