I made 2 fruit cakes without the brandy soaking. They are presently wrapped in cling film and in plastic bags in the fridge. My question is how long should I wait to cut them? And how long will they last? Should I freeze one and should I do it right away?
As you can tell, at the ripe old age of 79 I'm a newcomer to baking fruit cakes!
My family bakes a lot of fruitcakes every year. We wrap them in foil and then plastic wrap, and they will last for several months because the sugar itself preserves them. Just don't skimp on sugar for health reasons if you want it to last. If you're going to eat it right away, then you can make a healthier one with less sugar. We've frozen them, after the obligatory 2 weeks in the fridge, and made them last even longer. Be sure to use foil as well as plastic if you freeze them.
We mail them at Christmas. But we only use raisins, no colorful fruits. It's in the category of "dark fruit cake" made with dark brown sugar and raisins boiled and then steeped overnight before the cake is assembled and baked the next day.