Mini Exotic Fruit Cakes
These mini fruit cakes are so versatile. Iced for Christmas, transfer into Simnel Cakes for Easter and wrapped with ribbon for a perfect gift.
| Serves: | 4 cakes |
|---|---|
| Preparation time: | 20 minutes |
| Cooking time: | 1 hour 15 minutes plus decorating |
Ingredients
- 115g President Unsalted Butter, softened
- 115g Billingtons Golden Caster Sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 125g white self raising flour
- 200g, Whitworths luxury dried mixed fruit
- 100g mixed dried berries (e.g. Whitworths Ready to Eat Cranberries) and cherries
- 1 stem ginger in syrup, drained and chopped
- 200g Silver Spoon Cakecraft ready rolled Marzipan
- 2 tbsp smooth apricot jam
- 35ml water
- 250g Silver Spoon All in One Royal Icing Sugar
- ½ tsp Silver Spoon Cakecraft glycerine
- Silver Spoon Cakecraft sprinkles, for decorations
Equipment
- Kenwood Electric Mixer
- Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl
- 4x empty clean small baked bean tins (215g each)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C /fan 130°C /300°F, Gas Mark2.
- 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 well mixed. Add the other egg with tablespoon flour and beat again.
- Stir in the rest of the flour and the mixed fruit, berries and cherries and stem ginger.
- Divide the cake mixture between the tins and Level the tops.
- Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 10 minutes. 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 cut four rounds. Heat the jam and brush on the tops of the cakes. Cover with the marzipan.
- Pour the water into a large Pyrex glass mixing bowl. Preferably using a Kenwood electric mixer, start adding the icing sugar. Start slowly then gradually increase to a 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 use.
- Apply the icing to the cake tops over the marzipan with a palate knife. Prod the icing with a teaspoon handle to create peaks. And sprinkle with decorations of your choice.
Tip: For a special touch use any leftover ready to roll icing to make name or thank you tags.
Leftover marzipan makes lovely sweets. Colour the marzipan using food colour and either roll into balls or if feeling creative shape into fruit. You could even dip into melted chocolate.
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