Every family has different Christmas traditions that they pass on to their younger generations. A Michigan family is not different in following the tradition, yet very unique regarding the heirloom they pass on. The heirloom that this family passes down is a 141-year-old fruitcake.
“It’s a great thing, it was tradition. It’s a legacy,”Julie Ruttinger, the great great granddaughter of Fidelia Ford, who baked the cake in 1878, told AP.
Fidelia Ford had established a tradition to age the cake for a year before baking it. After the ageing she baked it and served it during the holiday season. The current cake was primarily preserved to honour the expertise and talent of Ford. Her family members considered her baking skills as a legacy.
The cake was in the possession of Ruttinger’s father, Morgan Ford, who was the great grandson of Fidelia Ford. Morgan stored the antique cake in a glass dish in his Tecumseh home where it sits till date.
Morgan Ford held to this unique family heirloom proudly and even went on air on “The Tonight Show” to display the baking wonder.
The cake, on the contrary, has not made its way to the Guinness World Records since the oldest title holder in that category is occupied by a 4,176-year old cake that was found in an Egyptian tomb.
{{/usCountry}}The cake, on the contrary, has not made its way to the Guinness World Records since the oldest title holder in that category is occupied by a 4,176-year old cake that was found in an Egyptian tomb.
{{/usCountry}}(with inputs from AP)