The Century Fruitcake Project

After Baking Day, the sixteen wrapped cakes were left in the large plastic tub used to mix the batter. Daily the cakes were flipped, on one day they were rotated 180 degrees, on the next they were flipped. Then one-half ounce of cognac was poured directly on top of each cake, taking care to go slowly so the cognac soaked into the cheesecloth rather than running out. The cakes were arranged in two rows of eight each, an additional four ounces of cognac were poured down the gap between the two rows. After several days of this, the cakes reached saturation, where the cheesecloth remained damp to the touch a day later. They were left to rest for a few more days until finally being sealed on the 20th of December 2025.

Many things had to happen before Baking Day: ordering a monumental amount of dried fruits and nuts, getting enough foil baking pans (as I do not happen to just have 16 loaf pans on-hand), laying in stores of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and spices. One of the hardest challenges was finding a mixing bowl that could hold 24+ pounds of batter, even my largest mixing bowl, which could double as a regimental punch bowl in a pinch, came short. In the end I had to go to the hardware store and buy one of those long flat storage containers designed to go under your bed—which you can see in some photos from the day below.