How to Add Rum to Fruit Cake

Fruitcake is a type of cake people traditionally bake for holidays or other celebrations that gains its distinctive flavor through the addition of spirits. Most fruitcakes are composed of cake batter, dried or candied fruits, and nuts. Basting fruitcake with rum or other alcohol also provides moisture and helps preserve the cake. You add rum to fruitcake both before baking through soaking the fruit and after baking by applying directly to the cake and to a cheesecloth.

Steps

1
Place the dried and candied fruit you will be adding to the cake batter in a measuring cup or sealable container. Follow your chosen fruitcake recipe to determine the amount of fruit you should use.
2
Pour dark rum over the fruit. The rum should completely cover the fruit. Cover with plastic wrap or container lid.

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3
Soak the fruit in rum for at least 24 hours at room temperature before baking your fruitcake. 72 hours of soaking is ideal, but check the fruit each day and add more rum if needed so that it doesn't dry out.
4
Add rum soaked fruit to your cake batter and reserve the soaking liquid.
5
Bake fruitcake and let cool completely. Leave it in its baking pan.
6
Brush reserved rum across the top of the fruitcake with a pastry brush.
7
Place a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the entire fruitcake on your work surface.
8
Dampen a cheesecloth with rum and place it over the plastic wrap.
9
Unmold the fruitcake onto the cheesecloth. Wrap the cake with the cheesecloth and then brush with some additional rum.
10
Pull the plastic up and around the cheesecloth covered cake. Make sure you pull it tightly against the cake.
11
Cover the cake with 2 layers of aluminum foil. Place cake in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
12
Let the fruitcake cure. Fruitcakes typically take at least a month to cure, which is when the alcohol mellows, but most traditional recipes recommend 3 months.
13
Baste fruitcake with rum.
- Unwrap and baste the fruitcake with rum every 1 to 2 weeks if you do not plan to store the cake long. You can sprinkle the rum directly over the cake or brush it onto the cake with a pastry brush.
- Maintain the moist texture and flavor of your fruitcake during longer curing periods by thoroughly brushing with rum at least every 3 months. Tightly rewrap the cheesecloth, plastic wrap and foil.
14
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

I soaked the fruits in rum for a couple of days, but when I baked the cake, it got very smoky. Is this normal?

Community Answer

I am guessing that the smoke was actually from something burning on the floor of your oven, not from the cake itself. The alcohol evaporating wouldn't cause smoke and it would be relatively minor if it did.
Question

Can l use something else in the place of alcohol?

Community Answer

Alcohol is an unnecessary additive to fruitcake. Bake your cake on the middle rack with 2+ cups of water in another pan on the bottom rack. This will increase the volume AND moisture content of your cake. Store it in foil, airtight for 1 to 3 months and serve. Everyone will enjoy it.
Question

Can I boil the fruits first then soak with brandy?

Community Answer

If you intend to make them softer, steam them to desired texture. Boiling will weaken their flavors.

Warnings

If you don't baste the fruitcake with rum or other alcohol during storage, it can dry out and lose its flavor.

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Although you can choose to store a fruitcake in the freezer, don't freeze your fruitcake before you cure it. Freezing stops the seasoning process.

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