Mini Christmas cake bites

This is just a simple variation on a Christmas cake, going for individual mini bites of cake rather than making a large cake.

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Inspired by Nigella Lawson’s puddinis (such a fabulous name!), which use left-over Christmas pudding, these instead use some of the Christmas cake mixture I made for this year’s Christmas cake – ok, I made a little extra mixture but why not?

I also add a generous amount of brandy to the baked cakes to give them a real kick.

About the recipe

The recipe for the full-sized Christmas cake, a family recipe I have used, with a few tweaks now and then, for many decades, is here.

For these mini cakes, I used the small moulds that I would use for cannelés, which take a heaped teaspoon of cake per hole, but I have made them before in other small silicone moulds: dome-shaped work particularly well here.

If you just want to make these Christmassy bites, rather than a full-sized cake as well, you can make a one-egg mixture. This amount which will give enough for up to about 30 mini cakes, depending on the size of the mould. I have given the recipe for a one-egg mixture below.

Silicone moulds – ideal for these mini cakes

You need just up to a heaped teaspoon  of the Christmas cake mixture into each hole, coming just over 3/4 of the way up. If using different moulds, vary the amount of mixture but don’t fill more than three quarters of the depth.

Christmas cake bites

To finish these cake bites, I popped a small amount of marzipan on top on each and then drizzled over some Royal Icing that had been flavoured with a little clementine juice.

These cakes can be made gluten free by simple replacing the plain flour with gluten-free plain flour: I use Dove’s gluten-free flour when I make gluten-free bakes.

Mini Christmas cake bites – makes about 30

Christmas cake bites

• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 50g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg, beaten well
• 50g plain flour (or use gluten-free plain flour)
• 200g mixed dried fruit of choice (currants, sultanas, raisins, cranberries, cherries…..)
• 50g mixed peel, finely chopped
• 50g nuts of choice (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios….), roughly chopped
• a little grated orange zest
• a splash of brandy or rum
• just under 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• a few gratings of nutmeg
• about 1/2 tablespoon black treacle

To finish:

• a few tablespoons brandy, optional
• about 50g Royal Icing sugar
• some of the juice from a clementine to mix (or use orange or water)
• about 50g marzipan
• edible gold or silver balls

(1) Preheat the oven to 120°C (fan).

(2) Beat the butter, sugar, flour, egg, mixed spice and nutmeg until it just comes together. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

(3) Place up to a rounded teaspoon into each mould, coming to just over three-quarters of the way up. Bake for about an hour to an hour and a quarter: they are done when a cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

(4) Leave to cool for a few minutes in the moulds and then turn out to cool fully. NB: I find pulling and stretching the moulds a little helps the cakes come away from the moulds.

(5) Dip the tops in brandy and leave them for a few moments to soak up just a little. Take a little marzipan and flatten, and place on top of each cake. Mix the Royal Icing sugar with just enough juice or water to give a fairly thick, but just pourable consistency. Drizzle over about a teaspoon of the icing, letting it drip slowly down the sides. Pop a gold or silver ball on top of each.

Christmas cake bites

Linked recipes:

• My recipe for a fuller-sized Christmas cake is here
• My recipe for a glazed fruit & nut vegan Christmas cake is here

Rich fruit cake

Glazed vegan fruit cake