Little Fruit Cakes

Little Fruit Cakes

Forget spending hours making a big Christmas cake, rather make these Little Fruit Cakes and everyone gets their own! Serve warm or cold!

Makes 16
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes + cooling time (optional)
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

150g butter
200g sultanas
200g currants
200g raisins
2 tablespoons (40ml) brandy
180g soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup (250ml) water
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
2 eggs, well beaten
Icing sugar, to serve

Method

1. Soak dried fruits in brandy for an hour or two. Alternatively, microwave on high for a minute or two and then cool.
2. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
3. Place dried fruit mixture with butter, sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently until butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. Sift in the two flours together, stir through (this also helps the mixture cool), then add the eggs and beat thoroughly.
5. Spoon into a muffin tray lined with muffin paper cases. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Remove from muffin tin and allow to cool.
7. Make a stencil of a Christmas tree or snowflake or Christmas motif from plain white paper. Sift icing sugar over and serve. Plain cakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Lyndey’s Note: You can use any mixture of dried fruit which adds up to 600g for this recipe.

If you do want to make a big cake try My Mum’s Christmas Cake