Festive Mini Cake Bites Recipe

Contributor Post by Becky of TheLifeStyleBlogger UK

If you haven’t yet, it’s essential to start planning your Christmas cake! For me, this process typically begins in October as I prefer to soak the fruit for the cake in LOTS of alcohol. You don’t need to soak it for that long; even a few days will suffice.

Nevertheless, if you’re like me and the thought of consuming an enormous Christmas cake is a bit overwhelming, or perhaps there aren’t many people in your household to share it with, I have an alternative for you… and you still get to enjoy your delicious homemade Christmas cake!

Last year, it was primarily my husband and me eating the majority of the cake, so instead of baking a large one as we usually do and struggling to finish it alone, I opted to make a tray bake Christmas cake instead. This way, it wasn’t as substantial, and we could have bite-sized pieces instead of hefty slices.

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it this year. Additionally, these mini cakes make fantastic homemade gifts!

Ingredients

250g raisins
250g natural glacé cherries, halved, rinsed, and thoroughly dried
100g cranberries
100g chopped apricots
150ml brandy, plus extra for feeding
150ml Disaronno, plus extra for feeding
250g unsalted butter, softened
250g light muscovado sugar
4 free-range eggs
1 tbsp black treacle
250g plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
Half a jar of marmalade
Fondant icing
Marzipan

Instructions

1/ To begin, place all the dried fruit into a large mixing bowl, pour over the brandy and Disaronno, and stir. Cover with cling film and let soak for three days (the longer, the better), stirring daily.

2/ Line a deep tray bake tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C.

3/ Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, and treacle into a large bowl and beat well. Once thoroughly beaten, add the flour and ground spice, mixing well until blended.

4/ Lightly flour the soaked fruit (this will help them remain suspended in the cake instead of sinking to the bottom) and stir into the mixture. Pour into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.

5/ Bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 2 hours (but check frequently), until the cake feels firm to the touch and is a rich golden brown. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin.

6/ After the cake has cooled, pierce it at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a bit more brandy and Disaronno (depending on taste).

7/ If time permits, keep feeding your cake daily with additional brandy and Disaronno – OPTIONAL STEP

8/ Once satisfied with the alcohol content, you can begin covering it with marzipan and icing. Fondant icing is easier to roll out and manage.

Brush the cake with marmalade before applying the marzipan; this helps it stick to the cake and adds a delicious, sticky, orangey zest! It also helps to keep the cake moist until you eat it.

Then, roll out your marzipan to the shape of your tray. Ensure you roll out enough to cover the cake and sides and carefully lift it over the cake with your rolling pin. Once in place, use the palms of your hands in circular motions to smooth the marzipan to the cake, eliminating air bubbles and achieving a smoother finish.

9/ Next, apply a thin layer of marmalade to the cake and repeat with the fondant icing as you did with the marzipan.

10/ When pleased with the appearance, you can begin decorating your cake as desired. I chose to decorate with charming little red berries and green leaves (holly & berries) using colored fondant icing. I did this by hand as I didn’t have small cutters, but you might find pre-made ones online.

If you like the idea of giving them as gifts, you can buy inexpensive small plastic bags to put them in. These presents were a BIG hit with my family!