How long can you typically keep a fruit cake, assuming that it is not 100 years? The U.S. Department for Agriculture (USDA) suggests up to 1 month in the pantry, up to 6 months refrigerated and up to a year frozen.

How long can you keep a fruit cake for?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that fruitcake will last two to three months in the refrigerator without spoiling, and will maintain its quality if stored up to a year in the freezer.

How does fruit cake last so long?

Fruitcake is a shelf-stable food unlike any other. All those dry ingredients don't give microorganisms enough moisture to reproduce, as Ben Chapman, a food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, explained in 2014. ... That keeps bacteria from developing on the cake.