feeding Christmas cake. alternatives to brandy.

[hissingcat]

Just made my Christmas cake.
I know it's meant to be made months in advance and fed with brandy but last year I made it the week before and fed with fresh orange juice daily and it was lovely.
I don't want to feed with brandy this year either but I'm not sure if

1. The cake will keep a few weeks with no feeding at all

and

1. If I can use fresh orange again (as it might go rancid before cake is eaten).

and finally

1. is a cake fed to preserve it or to make it moist?

do you have something you use instead of brandy?
thanks.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I use Amarretto to soak the fruit and feed.

If I wasn't using alcohol, I'd freeze it to be sure it didn't go off.

[Penguinsaresmall]

I don't think it's so much that alcohol preserves the cake - more that if you use fruit juice the juice itself could go a bit rancid, as you say. With or without alcohol, a rich fruit cake will stay fresh for weeks because of all the sugar in it, as well as keeping it in an airtight container to stop it drying out.

This year I've made a chocolate fruit cake and am feeding it with Tia Maria. But anyway, any spirit or long life liqueur (ie not a creamy one) will do, whiskey, rum, anything you fancy really....

[hissingcat]

so is it safe to say the cake will keep for 3-4 weeks without feeding as long as it's in an airtight container?

[hissingcat]

Amaretto sounds lovely but I'm trying to avoid buying any alcohol as it would end up sitting in the cupboard.

[CoffeeandNumbers]

I used amaretto year before last, it was very rich and tasty, lots of compliments.

I think my cake was a borderline alcoholic though, I used half a 70cl of disaronno!!

The other half went in a fair few coffees over the Xmas period.

[Penguinsaresmall]

Yes it will be fine.

A friend of mine likes the flavour of rum but doesn't like alcohol, so uses rum flavouring in the recipe then just stores it away for a few weeks without feeding it at all - it's fine.

But if you do want to feed it a bit, why not just buy a miniature bottle?

[hissingcat]

I never thought of using the amaretto in coffee...
might buy a bottle of that then.

I did think about buying a miniature of brandy but wasn't sure about the taste going through the cake as I can't stand the stuff.

[Primadonnagirl]

I used port...it was delicious! Also try M and S Gingerbread rum

[Lucked]

Vanilla vodka - it was really nice, I got the recipe fron good housekeeping one year.

[gildedlily]

Mine's getting a genteel slurp or 2 of oloroso sherry

[JenniMoo]

Lidl cherry brandy on mine.
I'd probably freeze the cake if you've just made it, only for a few days, but just to help mature it.
I think you can feed them with a sugar syrup / orange juice mix, too, if you don't want to use alcohol.

[MackerelOfFact]

Feed it with chai or black tea.

[hissingcat]

Have bought a bottle of amaretto today. Now I have a new question: how much do I use and also will it be ok for a 5 year old to eat some?

[whevs]

I've been feeding mine with brandy, but going to feed with Cointreau once or twice before Christmas (mmmmm)

[JenniMoo]

I'd let s 5 yo have some, but not too big a piece. Especially with amaretto, which isn't as alcoholic as brandy anyway, I don't think.
I'd drizzle a little over the top (enough to wet it all over) a couple of times before Christmas. I think it's meant to be better to brush it on than drizzle, to get it even, so perhaps brush it every couple of days?

[Oldyellow]

Ginger wine. Mine has chopped stem ginger in it as well!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

it would end up sitting in the cupboard

in my house it does

I don't drink alcohol, i use it in the Christmas cake and marzipan. Then it goes away till next year. IIRC the last bottle was three Christmases old, I smelled it, though, "Mmm you're okay"

[MrsLindor]

I drizzle a capful of amaretto (small bottle) then rub it over the cake with clean hands, then lick my hands :)

[hissingcat]

Have been brushing amaretto on daily with a (unused) paintbrush stolen from DD art set.
The cake smells lovely.