Are You Aging?

If not, we’re sharing “candied” advice about fruitcakes.

Heads up if you (like me) begin holiday baking soon after Thanksgiving. For those of us who have not retired fruitcake from our holiday tables, we’re facing a tighter deadline. This year having Thanksgiving later than usual, left less calendar-time for aging.

photo by Donna B. Pierce

Aging?

In The African-American Heritage Cookbook by Carolyn Quick Tillery (Citadel Press,1996, 2024) Tillery reminds us that proper “aging” becomes a crucial factor for enhancing flavors. And when Tillery uses a timeline to describe aging, she’s not forecasting drooping eyes or wrinkles.

Instead, she’s writing about fruitcakes. After baking, she recommends storing well-wrapped cakes in a dry place at least 30 days before serving, adding instructions to “slightly moisten the surface with equal parts brandy and Grand Marnier,” once a week.