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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

The fruitcake

Delicious fruitcakes are versatile and can be served at any occasion. Covered with elaborate icing, they are a delectable treat at weddings and birthdays whereas a slice of fruitcake without any icing is perfect for a leisurely afternoon tea.

Fruitcakes taste best when kept to mature for at least a minimum of one month. If the storage facilities are dry and cool, fruitcakes can even be kept to mature for three to four months. Keeping this in mind, start your preparations well in advance of the time you are planning to use the cake.

Making a fruitcake

The procedure for making a fruitcake takes a few days. First, the fruits and nuts need to be prepared. They are soaked for 2 or 3 days in alcohol, preferably brandy or rum. If you don't want to use alcohol, fruit juice can be substituted.

The cake recipe should be followed strictly to obtain the desired result of a wonderful tasty cake. For those who do not like a particular fruit or nut, they can be substituted according to individual tastes. The only thing to remember is that the weight specified in the recipe for the fruits and nuts should be maintained.

Christmas fruitcake

From the time when I was a mere child, and discovered that Christmas was really all about eating, I was addicted to fruitcake. To me, nothing epitomized the meaning of Christmas like that of my mother's fruitcakes that she made from scratch.

This was of course before I knew that Christmas was really a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ some 2000 plus years ago. Until that time, the success of my Christmas depended on whether my mother had felt like baking the cake a month before.

What is a Fruitcake?

Fruitcakes, as the name suggests, have dried fruits added in them as a part of their preparation. The main ingredients used in making fruitcakes are flour, butter, rum, and dried fruits. Dry fruits that are commonly used in these cakes are raisins, almonds, walnuts, cherries, and apricots.

CONCLUSION

Fruitcakes are of German origin, and are available in various flavors and sizes. Rice fruitcakes and pumpkin fruitcakes are some of the variations of standard fruit cakes. Fruitcakes are available in several pastry stores. Fruit cakes can be ordered over the phone or through the Internet, and many stores offer free home delivery packages.