In brief
- Candied fruit is fruit soaked in sugar syrup, which preserves it and makes it translucent.
- Quality shows in the firmness, the natural colour and the sugar/fruit balance.
- In pastry, you dust them lightly with flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.
- Well wrapped, kept cool and dry, they keep for several months.
- For professionals, the challenge is consistency of size and quality batch after batch.
Cake, gingerbread, panettone, florentines: candied fruit is everywhere in traditional pastry. But not all of it is equal, and used badly it sinks to the bottom of the tin or hardens. At Silly, a Belgian supplier of pastry staples, here is how to choose, work and keep it well.
What is candied fruit?
Candied fruit is fruit whose water has gradually been replaced by a sugar syrup. This slow candying makes it translucent, glossy and above all far more stable: the sugar acts as a natural preservative.
All kinds of fruit are candied: cherries, orange and lemon peel, angelica, melon, ginger. In pastry they bring flavour, colour and softness all at once.
How to recognise quality candied fruit?
Three signs never lie: good firmness (the fruit holds its shape, neither dry nor soggy), a clear but not garish colour, and a balance between the sugar and the flavour of the fruit (good candied fruit stays fruity, not just sweet).
Be wary of fruit that is too hard (poorly candied or dried out) or, on the contrary, sticky. For regular professional use, uniform sizing matters as much as taste: it is what guarantees a consistent result in your cake and gingerbread recipes.
How to use candied fruit in pastry?
The golden rule: dust candied fruit lightly with flour before folding it into a batter. Coated in a veil of flour, they stay suspended instead of sinking to the bottom of the tin during baking.
A few essential uses: the candied fruit cake, the gingerbread, the florentines, the panettone, or nougat. You can also dice them small for an even distribution, or keep them whole for decoration.
Recommandation — Always dust candied fruit lightly with flour before folding it into a batter: the veil of flour keeps them suspended instead of letting them sink to the bottom of the tin.
How to store candied fruit?
Thanks to the sugar, candied fruit keeps for several months if it is kept in an airtight container, away from air, in a cool and dry place. The enemy is drying out: in contact with air, it hardens.
If it has hardened, you can rehydrate it briefly (gentle steam or a quick pass through warm syrup). Avoid the fridge, often too humid, which encourages surface mould to develop.
Erreur fréquente — The fridge, often too humid, encourages surface mould: keep candied fruit dry and airtight, not in the refrigerator.
Candied fruit for professionals
For an artisan or an industrial baker, what matters is not only the quality of one batch, but its consistency: the same size, the same colour, the same sugar level with every order. That is what lets you keep a signature recipe going all year round.
Silly stocks candied fruit and staple ingredients selected for professional pastry, alongside marzipan, brésilienne and nougatine, with the same demand for consistency.
Frequently asked questions about candied fruit
How is candied fruit made?
The water in the fruit is gradually replaced by an increasingly concentrated sugar syrup. This slow candying makes the fruit translucent and stable, with the sugar playing the role of a natural preservative.
How do you stop candied fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake?
Dust it lightly with flour before folding it into the batter. The veil of flour keeps it suspended during baking instead of letting it sink to the bottom of the tin.
How long does candied fruit keep?
Several months in an airtight container, cool and dry. The sugar preserves it naturally; its main enemy is air, which dries it out and hardens it.
What should you do if your candied fruit has hardened?
Rehydrate it briefly with gentle steam or in warm syrup. In future, keep it well airtight, away from air, to prevent it drying out.
Which fruits can be candied?
Cherries, orange and lemon peel, angelica, melon, ginger, but also whole fruits. In pastry they bring flavour, colour and softness to cake, gingerbread or panettone.
Where can you buy candied fruit for pastry in Belgium?
Silly Belgium stocks candied fruit and staple ingredients for professionals in Brussels (Jette). Ask about availability and a sample via the contact page.
Sources
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