Recipe

Individual Christmas cakes

Create a thoughtful gift or wow your guests with these individual Christmas cakes! This recipe creates cakes with that tried-and-true flavour - just on a smaller scale!

Mar 21, 2017 1:11am
  • 45 mins cooking
  • 24 hrs marinating
  • Makes 12
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This recipe first appeared inFood magazine.
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Ingredients

  • 1 kilogram mixed fruit
  • 250 gram currants
  • 250 gram sultanas
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 3 cup high-grade flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 225 gram butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • glacé cherries and unsalted nuts to decorate, eg, 1 packet glacé cherries, 5 x 70g packets nuts

Method

  • 1
    Soak the mixed fruit, currants and sultanas in the brandy in a covered bowl overnight.
  • 2
    Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Line 10-12 individual baking pans with baking paper or use disposable paper ones (see tip).
  • 3
    Sift the flour and spices into a large mixing bowl.
  • 4
    Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in the vanilla essence.
  • 5
    Pour the soaked fruit and drained pineapple into the flour and mix together until well combined. Stir the fruit mixture into the creamed mixture, combining well.
  • 6
    Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans, filling to 1cm below the rim. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture evenly into the corners and smooth the top.
  • 7
    Decorate the top of the cakes with cherries and nuts, placing them as close together as possible (there’s no need to push them in)
  • 8
    Bake for 45 minutes, then reduce the oven to 140ºC and continue to bake until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean (larger cakes will take 1-1½ hours, smaller ones about an hour).

Notes

  • 使12印第安纳州ividual cakes (2-6cm x 12cm loaves, 4-8cm x 12cm loaves and 6-7cm x 7cm squares). - Any small baking pans will be fine for these cakes. Just adjust the cooking times according to the size. Remember to fill the mixture no higher than 1cm from the top of the pan to allow room for decorations. - For an alternative finish, bake these cakes without the decorative nuts and cherries. When they are cold, brush the top and sides with apricot jam (mixed with a little hot water) and cover them with a thick layer of fondant icing. - You can buy the paper baking pans from Millys Kitchen shop.

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