What allows fruitcake to survive so long? I had a piece of a friend’s 2-year-old wedding cake and it tasted fine. If it had been a sponge cake, it would have moulded away.
• It’s the brandy!
No, actually it’s the sugar content. Sugars are hygroscopic, that is they draw water from their surroundings, including from any bacteria or fungi. This prevents growth of such microbial contaminants. Bees process honey for exactly the same purpose, reducing the water content of the collected nectar to around 20 per cent so that the honey, which is 80 per cent sugar, can resist microbial spoilage.…
