About the bake
These Mini Christmas Cakes are ideal food gifts for the festive season. This boozy cake has the richest flavour from the combination of fruit and spices and of course the deliciously indulgent brandy frosting.
Method
Step 1:
Put the dried fruit into a bowl, add the dark rum and sherry and stir everything together. Cover and ideally leave to soak for up to a week.
Step 2:
Grease and line the base and sides of 10 x 7.5cm 3inch cooking rings. Preheat the oven the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4).
Step 3:
Cream the butter and molasses together in a bowl with a hand held mixer until soft and fluffy.
Step 4:
Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, adding 2 tablespoons of the flour to stop the mixture curdling.
Step 5:
Sift in the remaining flour and mixed spice, then fold in the stem ginger.
Step 6:
Put half of the macerated fruit into a processor and whizz until it is smooth.
Step 7:
Add to the flour with the rest of the fruit and boozy liquid. Fold everything together. Spoon into prepared tins, smoothing over the surface, leaving a slight dip in the surface.
Step 8:
Bake for 40 minutes. Cool in the tins. Remove rings and wrap in foil and put into an airtight container until needed.
Step 9:
For brandy frosting, mix together the butter, icing sugar and cream cheese in a processor with 1 tablespoon of brandy until blended.
Step 10:
Use a palette knife to spread the icing over the top of the cakes, smoothing and peaking. Wrap a ribbon around the sides if liked, to decorate.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 250g Dried mixed fruits
- 125ml Dark rum
- 75ml Sherry
- 250g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 225g Billington's Unrefined Molasses Sugar
- 3 Large free range egg(s) (lightly beaten)
- 250g Self-raising wholemeal flour
- 2 tbsp Mixed spice
- 4 Stem ginger (drained & chopped)
For the Frosting
- 150g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 150g Silver Spoon Icing Sugar
- 150g Cream cheese
- 1 tbsp Brandy
Utensils
- Large mixing bowl
- 10 x 7.5cm 3in cooking rings
- Hand held mixer
- Sieve
- Food processor
- Wooden spoon
- Tin foil
- Palette knife
- Ribbon
We'd love a slice of advice.
Was it yum? Did the recipe work well? Did you customise the recipe?
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 250g Dried mixed fruits
- 125ml Dark rum
- 75ml Sherry
- 250g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 225g Billington's Unrefined Molasses Sugar
- 3 Large free range egg(s) (lightly beaten)
- 250g Self-raising wholemeal flour
- 2 tbsp Mixed spice
- 4 Stem ginger (drained & chopped)
For the Frosting
- 150g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 150g Silver Spoon Icing Sugar
- 150g Cream cheese
- 1 tbsp Brandy
Utensils
- Large mixing bowl
- 10 x 7.5cm 3in cooking rings
- Hand held mixer
- Sieve
- Food processor
- Wooden spoon
- Tin foil
- Palette knife
- Ribbon