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Mini Fruit Cakes

Recipe Submitted By: bakingmad

These mini fruit cakes are so versatile, wrap with ribbon for a gift, ice for Christmas or add marzipan to change to a simnel cake for easter.

115 grams	Butter softened
115 grams	Golden Caster Sugar (Billington's)
2	Happy Eggs (Large Eggs)
125 grams	Self Raising Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly)
200 grams	luxury dried mixed fruit
1	Stem Ginger In Syrup
200 grams	Ready Rolled Marzipan (Silver Spoon Create)
2 tbsp	Apricot Jam
35 ml	Water Warm
250 grams	Royal Icing Sugar (Silver Spoon)
1 tsp	Glycerine (Silver Spoon Create)
	Coloured Choco Beans (Silver Spoon Create) for decoration

Baked Bean Tins (small 415g, empty, cleaned)

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Line the base and sides of each tin with 2 layers of non stick baking paper.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add one egg and beat until mixed. Add the other egg with a tablespoon of flour and beat again.
Stir in the rest of the flour, the luxury dried mixed fruit and stem ginger.
Divide the cake mixture between the tins and level the tops.
Bake for 1 hour. Leave to cool in the tins for 15 minutes then remove from the tins and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Trim the tops of the cakes with a sharp knife to make the tops flat. Unroll the marzipan and using one of the baked bean tins as a cutter cut 4 rounds. Heat the jam and brush on the tops of the cakes. Place the marzipan round on the top of the cake.
Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Preferably using an electronic mixer start adding the royal icing sugar powder. Start slowly, then gradually increase the speed to high speed until all the icing sugar is added. Add the glycerine and beat for 5 minutes, If using a wooden spoon the process will take longer. When the icing stands in a soft peak it is ready to use.
Add the icing to the cake tops over the marzipan with a palate knife. Pull the icing into peaks using the back of a teaspoon (prod and pull!). Sprinkle with the decorations of your choice before the icing sets hard.