These individual fruit cakes with their Christmas pudding-inspired decoration make the ideal gift this Christmas. You can buy mini cake tins from specialist cookware shops, but using clean food tins is a more resourceful option.
Step 1For the soaked fruit, in a large non-metallic bowl, combine the dried fruit and mixed peel. In a small pan, gently heat the rum, orange zest and juice until warm. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup and butter, to melt. Pour over the fruit, stir, cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.
Step 2Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Carefully grease and line the tins (see GH TIP) with baking parchment.
Step 3For the cakes, using a freestanding mixer or a handheld electric whisk and large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5min. Gradually beat in the eggs. Sift in flour and spices and beat briefly to combine. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the soaked fruit mixture (and any liquid).
Step 4Divide cake mix between the prepared tins and level. Bake for 20min, then turn oven down to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2 and bake for a further 50min or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 1hr, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5To decorate the cakes, lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar. Roll out the white fondant icing to 1mm thick. Using a small sharp knife, cut out 4 splash marks, large enough to cover the tops of the cakes, re-rolling trimmings as needed.
Step 6 Next, roll out the green fondant to 1mm thick and stamp out 8 holly leaves using the cutter. Divide the red fondant into 12 pieces and roll into balls to make berries. Using a little water, stick the white fondant pieces on to each cake, to look like cream. Top with the holly leaves and berries, using a little more water, if needed, to stick. Serve.
GH Tip:
Make sure your sweetcorn (or similar) tins are well washed, dried and the lip of each is completely removed with a tin opener, leaving the base on.
To store:
Once decorated, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
To gift:
Wrap individually in cellophane or baking parchment.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
