Siúcra Mini Christmas Cakes

Thu, 15 December 2022

Makes 5 to 6 mini cakes depending on the size

 

For the fruit

1 orange, zest only

120ml orange juice

170g Siucra dark brown soft sugar

120g softened butter

400g dried mixed fruit

2 tbsp dried cranberries

4 tbsp brandy

1 cinnamon stick

 

For the cakes

180g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp all spice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

¼ tsp ground ginger

70g glacé cherries, halved

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp ground almonds

For the butter cream

100g softened butter

½ tsp vanilla

200g Siucra icing sugar, sifted

 

To decorate

1 x Siucra ready roll icing

1 x Siucra instant royal icing

Siucra icing sugar, to dust

Red colour gel or paste

Green colour gel or paste

Round fluted cutter to fit the tops of your mini cakes

Holly leaf cutter

Fine nozzle and piping bag

Fine paint brush

Thin red or gold ribbon

 

To prepare the fruit, Place the orange zest and juice, dark brown soft sugar, butter, dried mixed fruit, dried cranberries, brandy and cinnamon stick in a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low to simmer, while stirring frequently for about 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and a dark mixture is achieved. Remove the cinnamon stick. Set aside to cool before adding the rest of the ingredients.

 

To prepare the cake tins, line the base and sides of 6 individual cake tins with baking paper. Place them on a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C/gas 4.

 

To prepare the cake mix, add the cherries into the cooled fruit mix. Stir in the beaten eggs and ground almonds.

Sift the flour, baking powder, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger into the fruit mix and fold in.

If you feel the cake batter needs more liquid, add a few tbsp of orange juice.

Spoon into the individual cake tins, place on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes before turning down the heat to 160°C/140°C/ gas 3 for a further 1 hour.

Insert a skewer to check that it is cooked, the skewer will come out clean if baked. If not return it to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and leave to cool in the tins on a cooling rack. Remove from the tins.

 

To make the buttercream, place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk well for 4 minutes until fluffy. Set aside.

 

To prepare the Christmas pudding decorations for the mini cakes, colour a piece of Siucra roll out icing with red colouring and a smaller piece with green colouring.

Roll out white Siucra roll out icing, dust the surface with a little icing sugar and cut out a piece for the “cream topping” using the fluted cutter and then cut it halfway and use the fluted side to create the shape.

Roll the red out and cut out 6 fluted rounds to fit the cakes.

Roll out the green Siucra roll out icing and cut out holly leaves.

Mould small red holly berries from the roll out icing.

Make the Siucra instant royal icing according to the instructions.

Insert the nozzle into a piping bag and spoon in some royal icing.

 

To assemble, spread a little butter cream onto the Christmas cakes. Place the red discs onto each cake. Paint the one side of the white “cream topping” shape with a little royal icing and place on top of the red disc so that it looks like a Christmas pudding.

Paint the back of the holly leaves with royal icing and place on the top. Arrange the holly berries in place, sticking them with a little royal icing. Pipe dots over the red part of each “Christmas pudding” cake.

Tie a ribbon around each cake and place on a cake stand.