How old is the oldest fruitcake

Ford told reporters before his death. But James Ford does not want it. In a recent phone call with The Globe and Mail, he confessed he was not even sure where the cake is. In fact, it is where it has been for the past 63 years, in a hutch in the home of his year-old mother, Dorothy.

The other four siblings are all share their brother's lack of enthusiasm. The cake's value, it appears, is entirely sentimental. The family calls it the world's oldest fruitcake, taping to the dish a yellowed copy of the late Fidelia Ford's obituary as evidence of its provenance. But whether that is technically true is unclear. A spokesperson for Guinness World Records said the organization does not have a category for oldest fruitcake. Ruttinger added another reason her generation will not have an official custodian for the cake: None of them like fruitcake.

Ruttinger said she is willing to give the odd interview, including with this Globe reporter, but only out of a sense of duty and obligation to her late father — likening it to any other family holiday tradition tolerated through gritted teeth.

It's all about family and tradition. But in the case of the Fords, this one may lie dormant for only one generation. Until his death, the cake was in the care of Ruttinger's father, Morgan Ford, who was Fidelia Ford's great-grandson. He had stored it in an antique glass dish on the top shelf of a china cabinet in his Tecumseh home — which is where it remains today.

That honor goes to a 4,year-old cake that was found in an Egyptian tomb, according to the Guinness organization. It is on display in a food museum in Switzerland. During the 93 years that Morgan Ford held on to his family's fruitcake, he showed it off at church and family gatherings and shared stories about its history with younger relatives. It is on display in a food museum in Switzerland. Julie Ruttinger's family has preserved the family tradition of passing down a cake for over years.

The cake has even appeared on the Tonight Show. By Associated Press. December 16, Share Email Facebook Tweet. Tagged: Food. Trustworthy journalism, available for free to everyone.