Christmas

12 Mini Fruit Cakes

I usually make this in September and feed it every couple of weeks, up till December, with a mixture of brandy, dark rum, and sloe gin, for a really boozy cake.

You'll also need 12 small (and empty) 'half tins' of baked beans. I like to make these as gifts, covered in icing and marzipan.

Ingredients:

  • 1kg mixed dried fruit

  • 50g chopped glacé cherries

  • Brandy

  • Kraken rum

  • Sloe gin

  • 225g plain flour (sifted)

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

  • 1⁄4 level teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

  • 1⁄2 level teaspoon ground mixed spice

  • 225g dark brown soft sugar

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 dessertspoon black treacle

  • 225g butter

  • 50g chopped almonds

  • zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

Method:

Put the dried fruit into a bowl and add 100ml of brandy. Mix well and cover the bowl with a cloth. Leave to soak overnight. Pre-heat the oven to 140°C

Put the flour, salt, spices, sugar, eggs, treacle, and butter, into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Fold in the pre-soaked fruit mixture, chopped nuts and finally the grated lemon and orange zest. Grease and line the tins and spoon the mixture evenly between them.

Wrap the tins in a double layer of greaseproof paper, covering the tops of the cakes. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 60-90 minutes until they feel springy to the touch.

Leave to cool before removing from the tins and skewering all over and feeding with a small drop of rum.

Wrap in greaseproof paper and store somewhere cool and dry. Feed every 2 weeks.

If you want to decorate the cake with marzipan and icing, do this shortly before eating.