Eat | Mini Christmas Cakes

It's never too late to make your Christmas cake, and if you haven't done so by now you really should get a wriggle on.  The earlier you make your Christmas cake the more time it has for the fruit to mature and develop their flavours. I've known of people making their Christmas cakes as early as July! Traditionally Christmas cakes were made on the Last Sunday before Advent- in November- on what was called "Stir up."

If you haven't yet thought of a gift for someone, how about a mini-Christmas cake? They are just perfect as a small gift for a neighbour, a class teacher, your grand/child's preschool teacher, or someone elderly or sick that can only manage a smaller cake.
Christmas cake  is an English tradition that first started back in the 16th Century when it was actually known as the 12th Night cake. It was usually served on the last day of the Christmas season- the 5th January- during a night of festivities and celebrations. The 12th Night cake was an essential part of the yuletide celebrations and was usually served with a layer of thin white icing.

During the making of the 12th Night cake during "Stir up" families would gather round and each take turns in stirring the cake mixture. Each family member would stir the mixture around the bowl 3 times in an east to west direction- to symbolise the the 3 wise men travelling from the East- and make a wish as they did so. A dried bean and pea was traditonally baked into each half of the cake- a bean was placed in the right side of the cake and the pea in the left. At the time of serving the cake, men were served a slice from the right side and women were served a slice from the left. If you received the bean in your slice you were the "King of Revels" for the night- everyone had to do as you said. If you received the pea you were his Queen.

Over time, the celebrations of the 12th night declined and it was eventually ruled that these celebrations were frivolous. It was only then that the Christmas cake began being served around Christmas day along with the Christmas pudding.

Here's a great recipe for you to try from Nigella Lawson. You can make the mini Christmas cakes as large or as small as you like. I used a large muffin tray for mine and the recipe made 10 "muffin" sized cakes.

You will need to make the fruit mixture the day before and leave them soak overnight.

700g sultanas

225g raisins

110g currants

110g glace cherries

110g mixed peel

120 ml brandy

225g butter

195g brown sugar

1stp orange zest

1tsp lemon zest

4 large eggs

2tabs marmalade

1tsp almond essence

350g plain flour

1tsp mixed spice

1/4tsp ground cinnamon

1/4tsp ground nutmeg

pinch salt

1. Place all the fruit and the brandy in a large bowl. Cover and let the fruit soak overnight.

2. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees C. Wrap a strip of brown paper around the inside of each muffin tin. Line the tin with baking paper.

3. Cream the butter and sugar, add in orange and lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition.

4. Add in marmalade and almond essence.

5. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. To the batter mixture, add alternatively in batches the fruit mixture and the flour mixture. Combine thoroughly after each addition.

6. Spoon the cake mixture carefully into the prepared muffin tins and bake for around 1- 1 1/2 housr- or until the mixture comes out cleanly.

7. When cake is cooked, remove from oven. With a secure, place several holes in through the cake. Brush extra brandy on top of the cake. Wrap the tin and cakes immediately in tin foil whilst still hot- this traps the heat and forms steam- keeping the top of the cake soft.

8. Leave to cool. When completely cold,remove from trays and re-wrap in tin foil and store, upside down, in an airtight container.

9. "Feed" your cake several times over the next few weeks by removing the foil and brushing with brandy and then re-wrapping. Leave until Christmas day when it will be ready to serve. If you would like to ice them, you can do so with some fondant icing, some dried fruit or a drizzle of thin icing over the top.

Enjoy!

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Comments

[Karen]

Hi Bronwyn, Just a question. I would like to make the mini xmas cakes, Look so cute. But; I can't print from your site ! And with so much to do finding the time to hand write the recipe. I've been writing out all your recipes and things I love; Because I can't print from your site ! Does anyone else have this problem ? Do I need to download or pay for it ? Hope you can HELP me Bronwyn; would speed up things for me, and I Love looking at your pictures to go with your recipes. Thanks Karen

[Lorraine]

Made two large cakes and the steamed pudding, yesterday. My recipe is so much like Nigella's. I soak the fruit in all the leftover spirits. Love making them all at once.

[Ale]

Thanks for the recipe!

Te dejo un fuerte abrazo esperando que esta Navidad y Año Nuevo estén colmado de bendiciones para ti y tus seres queridos, me voy de vacaciones!!!

cariños,

Ale
Costa Rica

[Bronwyn...]

I'm not sure why you can't print Karen. At the moment I am looking into print friendly options, but you should be able to print the web page.
Sorry I'm not much help.

Hugs,
Bron