Fruitcake is known for its shelf life, but this find is extreme

While there was once no question that a wedding cake should be made from fruitcake, it is becoming less and less common, as popular flavours such as chocolate mud, or red velvet take over. 

Which is a bit sad really, because as fruitcake falls out of fashion, so too do the other associated traditions that were once a big part of weddings and married life. 

Traditions such as freezing a layer of the wedding cake to be consumed at a later date, such as the first anniversary or the birth of the first child (whichever came first). 

You see, fruitcake wasn’t popular because it tastes great; in fact, if you asked around you’d probably find that more often than not, people can’t stand the stuff. 

No, it was popular because it had a long shelf life, which was especially important back before refrigeration became a thing – for example, back in ancient Rome where the earliest fruitcake recipe originates. 

However, conservationists in Antarctica have found a piece of well-preserved fruitcake which will long outdate that slice you’ve kept in the freezer since your wedding. 

The dessert found on the hostile continent is believed to have belonged to British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, making that slice of cake 106-years-old, the New Zealand based Antarctic Heritage Trust reported earlier this week. 

The cake dated back to the Cape Adare-based Northern Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition of 1910-13, and was found in Antarctica’s oldest building.

The trust said that it was found in “excellent condition” and smelled “almost” edible. 

“There was a very, very slight rancid butter smell to it, but other than that, the cake looked and smelled edible,” program manager for artefacts at the trust, Lizzie Meeks said in a statement. 

“There is no doubt the extreme cold in Antarctica has assisted its preservation.”

What is the longest you’ve kept a piece of fruitcake?