Colorful Components

• Meant to invoke the traditional colors of the season, julekake usually features candied red and green cherries, and sometimes other candied fruits of either color. The sweet cake also might contain candied orange peel and candied citron, and always has raisins, with optional additional dried fruits such as sultanas. Almonds may also be used, depending on the family recipe. Julekake's rich batter is made of butter, milk, sugar and flour, along with a generous dash of its main flavor note, cardamon.

Tasty Toppings

• Some Norwegian cooks simply dust baked julekake with powdered sugar, which allows its colorful fruits to show on top. In cases in which julekake is frosted, it's usually a simple glaze made with powdered sugar and whipping cream -- perhaps with a decorative garnish of additional colorful candied fruit and nuts. If it is served warm at breakfast, the unadorned cakes get an extra rich touch when topped with mild goat's milk cheese or plain butter, depending on the family tradition.

Merry Method

• The jukecake's assembly begins by 5 parts white flour with 3 to 4 parts combined dried and candied fruits, plus a spoonful of cardamon. Next, 2 parts milk that has been scalded is blended with 1 part each butter and sugar. When the milk mixture cools to room temperature, a package of yeast is added, and then the yeasted milk mixture is blended with the flour blend. The dough is kneaded, left to rise for at least 30 minutes, then punched down and kneaded again. At this point the dough gets separated into two shaped oval loaves, left to rise an additional 30 minutes, then baked in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Festive Feasting

• Julekake is a part of the rich tradition of yule festivities in Norway. Other traditional holiday foods include a Christmas Eve dinner of short-ribs with lingonberry sauce, along with potatoes, cabbage and a simple rice porridge dessert. After dinner comes gift exchanges and carol singing, followed by a sumptuous array of cookies. After a night guarded by the fireplace yule log to keep out the witches, foods accompanying julekake at the Christmas morning table include lefse -- a sweet potato bread -- along with a savory pickled lamb-veal roll known as rullepulse.