A Michigan family has preserved a fruitcake that was baked in 1878

The cake was traditionally aged a year before being served to a family member, but its maker died before it could be eaten. It has since been preserved.

By: Trends Desk
New Delhi | December 16, 2019 04:22 PM IST

2 min read

Following her father’s footsteps, Julie Ruttinger now cares for the cake, which is preserved in a glass dish.

In 1878, Michigan resident Fidelia Ford baked a Christmas fruitcake as part of her tradition of baking cakes and letting it age a year before serving it to a family member. This year, the cake will turn 141-years-old and continues to be handed down as a family heirloom.

Ford died at the age of 65, and never saw the cake she had baked in 1878 get eaten. It got passed down from generation to generation and Ford’s great-grandson Morgan Ford, who considered the cake a part of his legacy, was the custodian for 93 years. He died in 2013.

Morgan’s daughter Julie Ruttinger is the current custodian of the cake. She told Associated Press that her father treasured the cake till his death and even showed it off at church and several family gatherings. “He took a lot of pride in it,” she said.

The cake has been preserved in a glass dish, and is stored on the top shelf of a cabinet.

Here’s how people reacted to the unusual family heirloom:
https://twitter.com/MimiLeroch/status/1205650719514222592

https://twitter.com/james_andrews22/status/1205669025356943360

(With inputs from AP)

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