Are you thinking of a food that will add color to your holiday season? That must be fruit cake. In general, fruit cake is a combination of dried fruits, candied nuts, spices and batter. Because this food is popular around the world, there are many different approaches to how to make fruit cake.

Fruit cake is usually served during holiday meals, especially during the Christmas season. Instead of buying pieces of commercially-made and highly expensive fruit cake at the supermarket, you should make your own nutritious, healthy and fresh treat. Fruit will supplement your daily need of iron, protein, healthy fats and many other nutrients. As mentioned by the U.S. Agriculture Department, one slice of fruit cake weighing around three ounces can give you eight grams fat, two grams of protein, 279 calories, 26 grams of sugar, three grams of fiber and 53 grams of carbohydrates.

In ancient Rome, the fruit cake recipe commonly includes pine nuts, raisins, and pomegranate seeds combined into barley. Later on, the recipe adopted honey and spices to make the fruit cake more lasting and tasty. Today, the most common practice is to make fruit cake beforehand and store it for several months. To help you make your own homemade fruit cake recipe, here are simple steps you can follow.

1. Gather the needed ingredients and baking materials. Prepare three fourths cup of almonds (chopped), one fourth cup of candied fruits (chopped), two and one-fourth cups of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, one-eighth teaspoon of salt to taste, one-half cup of butter, one cup of sugar, three pieces of eggs, one teaspoon of vanilla, almond extract, and one cup of milk.

   Also, gather a loaf-pan, baking spray, small bowl, stirrer and aluminum foil.

2. Preheat the oven. While greasing the sides and bottom part of the loaf-pan with the baking spray, preheat the oven to 300F. After spraying, line the sides of the loaf-pan using the aluminum foil.

3. Work on the candied fruits and almonds. Chop the candied fruits into pieces until you make at least one fourth of a cup. Also, chop the almonds until you produce at least a three-fourth cup. Put them all into the small bowl.

4. Work on the remaining ingredients. In a separate bowl, put two teaspoons of baking powder, two and one-fourth cups of flour, and one-eight teaspoon of salt. Add one cup of sugar and a half cup of butter. Mix thoroughly until the texture becomes fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and then mix. Add the almond extract and one teaspoon of vanilla, and then mix well.

   Before adding the flour into the mixture, pour one half cup of milk first, and then mix together. Add the chopped candied fruits and almonds. Mix thoroughly.

5. Start baking. Pour the fresh mixture into the loaf-pain and back for 90 minutes. After baking, allow the cake to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve or preserve.

6. Store the fruit cake. For purposes of storing, wrap the cake using a wine-soaked or brandy-based towel, and then wrap it again using aluminum foil.

Once you know how to make fruit cake, you should also learn how to ripen the fruit cake. This simply means that the fruit cake acquires better taste with age. While non-liquor based fruit cakes should be stored in dry and cool place or in the refrigerator, liquor-soaked ones can be kept several months before serving. For a better taste, ripen the fruit cake for a week or two before freezing. Enjoy the compliments on Christmas day!