Mini Christmas Cakes

5 from 2 votes

Mini Christmas Cakes with brandy-soaked mixed dried fruit and topped with a smooth orange icing, a delicious festive dessert recipe that goes wonderfully well with everyone in the family. The fruit cakes, or Christmas muffins are a lot quicker to bake than the traditional Christmas cake, they out of the oven in just 30 minutes, and are super easy to make.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Cooling Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English

Servings: cakes

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

500 g brandy-soaked dried fruit
125 g dark brown sugar
125 g butter, soft
125 g plain flour
4 medium eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice

For the icing

150 g icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1 ½ tablespoon orange juice

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
In a large bowl, add the brown sugar and butter, and use a hand mixer to cream them together.
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after every addition.
Sift in the flour and baking powder, and use a spatula to bring everything together.
Add the dried fruit and mixed spice, and mix well to have all the ingredients incorporated.
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases, and divide the mixture evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is firm and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to cool completely.
To make the icing, sift the icing sugar, and add the orange juice to it.
Mix well to get a smooth, lump-free paste.
Use a teaspoon of the mixture to top each cake, it looks even better if the icing runs a bit down the sides.
You can also decorate them with any sprinkles, Christmas edible figures or anything else that takes your fancy.

Video

Notes

Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.

If you don't find the brandy-soaked dried fruit, you can use any brandy or rum you have around. Add the dried fruit to a pan together with 150 ml (5oz) brandy, and leave them to simmer for 10 minutes on a medium heat until the fruit soaks up the liquid.
Most recipes call for the dried fruit to soak up for days on end, but my method is quick, easy and failproof - I used it for my classic Christmas cake recipe and it worked really well.
Double up the amount of ingredients if you are baking for a larger party - the recipe can be easily tweaked to one's liking.
Make sure you cakes are cooled down well before adding the icing, otherwise it will run off the cakes and make a pretty big mess too.

Nutrition