Dried fruit out of date. Safe or bin it?

[DoristheCamel]

Was about to bake a fruit cake to use up some dried fruit I have in sealed tupperware containers but the date on the packet says use by Nov 13.
My neighbour sats dried fruit is preserved so it will be ok.
what do you reckon?
its 3 x1kg bags of sultanas currants and raisins. All open wuth 50g used out of each prior to Nov 13.
Do I bin it all or do you think it will be ok in a boiled fruit cake?

It will be fine, it's just "best before", not "will kill you after" ;)

plus, I assume you are going to bake it at 100+ deg for some time? will be sterile by then!

It'll be totally fine. Don't waste it.

Oooh, might it be alcoholic?

I imagine gone-off dried fruit would be mouldy. If it's not mouldy, it must be edible.

Might be wise to soak it a spell in water before eating or putting in a cake.

Is it mouldy? If not use it.

i have no idea what the date of mine is as i pop it all into 1 big jar, but if it is dry and going into a cake soak it is something scrummy first (sherry works well)

I would probably give them a soak to make sure they are plump before cooking with them.

brill thanks for replying. I think may siak it in some sherry first.

just realised though that I only have plain flour. I forgot the kids baked at the weekend.
Can I use plain with bakung powder or will that just not work.
Am stuck with out the car today and live in the middle of nowhere! !! Hence the desperate question

What a pity - fermentation so much better than mould!

As for self-raising flour, you can google how much baking powder (or baking soda + cream of tartar) to add, to make self-raising out of plain flour. I've done it, and it worked out well (that was with scotch pancakes, which really show the lack if there's not enough baking powder/self-raising flour).

Thank you. Am off to make a start.