Couple Celebrates 61st Anniversary by Eating Original Wedding Cake

danjoseph | August 23, 2016
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Depending on how you look at it, this is either incredibly romantic, or disgusting and possibly dangerous. 

One Florida couple is celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary the same way they’ve been doing it for the previous six decades: eating a piece of their original, unrefrigerated 61-year-old wedding cake.

“It tastes fine. It’s never been in the refrigerator or the freezer,” Ann Fredericks explained. “I keep it wrapped in saran wrap.” 

“When we started the tradition, it used to be wax paper because that’s all we had back then. It doesn’t spoil. Dark fruit cake is made with brandy and it’s made with enough alcohol in it so it doesn’t spoil. But let me tell you -- it looks black. It’s that dark now after all these years.”

Each year, Ann and Ken Fredericks, who were married this week in 1955, pour a shot of brandy over the slice of cake to re-moisten it. Which makes sense, since you probably have to be at least a little bit drunk to willingly eat anything that old. 

The couple says that they plan to continue their bizarre tradition; however, with each passing anniversary, the cake is getting smaller and smaller and they could soon run out. 

“We’re beginning to think we may outlive the tradition,” Ann said. “I’m 82 and my husband is 86 and this year was our 61st wedding anniversary. The cake is only like three inches by four inches, what we have left of it. So we both enjoyed a very small piece. I’m torn between eating and having it over with, or making it last. And then we said, ‘You know, it would be fun if we outlive it.’ That would be a goal for us.”

It’s good to have goals. 

Hopefully eating exceptionally old baked goods will not impact their health in any way.

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