THAT is something we would like to know. For Ju.D Lao, the oldest fruitcake that she knows of is seven years old. It is a Ju.D Lao fruitcake which her sister has been keeping for a rainy day. Twice a year, Ju.D?s sister brushes it with brandy and wraps it in freezer paper (not aluminum foil, which dissolves into the cake), then seals it in a Ziploc plastic bag.

?My sister kept thinking there may come a time I won?t be able to bake for her, so she kept it and just kept it and it went on and on,? Ju.D said. The second-oldest fruitcake Ju.D knows of is owned by John Fernandez, who heads Katica J., a graphic design company based in Makati. ?I haven?t opened it from the wrapping yet, but every now and then I just take it out of the box and smell it, and it smells so fresh,? he said. In fact, John has two fruitcakes, the other one is two years old. ?My relatives always have Ju.D?s fruitcake,? he explains. ?So I eat theirs and save mine. But I noticed, the six-year-old one smells even better than my two-year-old fruitcake.? Recently John opened his, and it was still fragrant and edible, albeit dry. ?Since it was a coffee fruitcake, I should have brushed it in Kahlua and refrigerated it, but it was good, especially the fruits,? he said. Newshen Ethel Timbol, who loves Ju.D?s fruitcake, eats them even three months after she receives them.

Jay Leno

In the States, the oldest fruitcake is 130 years old. But in December 2006, Jay Leno took a bite from it. The fruitcake was owned by an 83-year-old man named Morgan Ford. His grandmother baked it in 1878 and it has been stored like a family heirloom. What did Leno say as he chewed the cake? He said: ?It needs more time.?

Actually, in the 1950s, it was fashionable for wedding cakes to be fruitcakes glazed with marzipan. Such was the cake of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Other customs were for wedding cakes to be tiered, with the top tier being a fruitcake that the newlyweds stored and ate on their first wedding anniversary.

Ju.D?s fruitcake varieties include the Classic, Ju.D Gold (which is totally honey-based), Ju.D Blue (coffee fruitcake), Ginger Apricot, Ginger Cranberry Fruitcake, Prune Fruitcake and Ginger Fruitcake.

She also made the world?s first fruitcake cookie, the Chewy Chewkie; Ginger Cranberry cookies and Ginger Apricot cookies.

Interested parties may call Ju.D at 633-0260 or 633-1188.