Mini Christmas Cakes

This is an easy recipe for a little Christmas cake that can be eaten in 2 bites … perfect as a little treat and very tempting !! Enjoyed by young and old.

Mini Christmas Cakes

Makes 48 mini muffin size

Ingredients:

115g plain flour

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

115g butter

115g muscovado sugar

3 large eggs

50g ground almonds

340g mixed fruit, currants and sultanas and raisins

40g chopped dried apricots

40g dried cranberries

85g glace cherries, roughly chopped

2 tbsp marmalade

4 tbsp brandy or port

1/2 pkt ready made white icing to decorate (optional)

4 tbsp apricot jam

Method:

First mix all the fruit with the marmalade and brandy, cover and leave for at least 2 hours.

While the fruit is infusing, line your mini muffin tins with little bun cases and set aside.

To make the cakes, cream the butter and sugar together then add the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour to prevent the mixture splitting.  Now add the spices and almonds to the remaining flour and fold into the creamed mixture.  Lastly add the fruit and fold gently.

Place a heaped teaspoon of mixture into each bun case until your tray is filled.  You will have enough mixture to full 48 little mini muffin cases.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180C/Gas 4/Aga Baking Oven middle runners or Two oven Aga on grid shelf placed on the floor with the cold shelf on the second runners.

To decorate:  When the cakes have completely cooled, soften the apricot jam with a tbsp. hot water and mix well.  Brush the jam over the top of each little cake, then stamp out little stars of white icing and place on top.  This is great to do with little children as they love brushing and stamping out the stars.   Enjoy!