Name: Miniature Christmas Fruitcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 1 cup glace cherries, red & green, coarsely chopped; ½ cup glace fruit mix with peel; ½ cup raisins, dark or golden; ½ cup rum, brandy or apple juice; ¾ cup packed brown sugar; ⅓ cup butter, softened at room temperature; 1 egg, room temperature; 1 cup all-purpose flour; ½ tsp. baking soda; ½ tsp. salt; ½ tsp. ground allspice; ½ tsp. ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg; 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans); Glace, candied cherries for garnish (one for the top of each muffin); ½ cup apple jelly or apricot jam, warmed; Icing (optional); 1 to 1 and ½ cups powdered sugar

Description

If you love fruitcake, then you’re going to love these miniature Christmas fruitcakes. Enjoy a traditional English fruitcake flavours in a recipe that is easy and comes together quickly. This recipe makes a large batch and freezes well for holiday baking trays.

Ingredients

1 cup glace cherries, red & green, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup glace fruit mix with peel

1/2 cup raisins, dark or golden

1/2 cup rum, brandy or apple juice

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened at room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Glace, candied cherries for garnish (one for the top of each muffin)

1/2 cup apple jelly or apricot jam, warmed

Icing (optional)

1 to 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

The first step in this recipe is to soak the fruit in brandy or rum. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can use apple juice. Soak the fruit overnight.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together brown sugar, butter and egg. You can use a mixer, stand mixer or mix by hand. I mixed this recipe completely by hand.
In a separate mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and stir just to combine.
Add in walnuts and fruit mixture and stir until combined.
Use a small cookie scoop to fill mini muffin tins. Place a cherry, walnut or pecan in the centre.
Bake in 300°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Bake until toothpick inserted in centre of cake comes out clean. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack.
Lightly brush tops with warmed apple jelly or apricot jam. Place jam in microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds.
For the drizzle of icing combine powdered sugar and milk or heavy cream and stir. You may need to add a bit more cream or powdered sugar to reach the right consistency.
You can also, place the icing in a ziplock or piping bag and pipe it over top of each cake.

Notes

We did not include soaking the fruit overnight in brandy, rum or apple juice in the prep time of 15 minutes.

Storage and freezing:

Cover with plastic wrap or place in airtight storage containers in the refrigerator for up to one month. Separate the layers using parchement paper so they do not stick together.

These fruitcakes freeze well. Freeze for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers separating any layers with parchment paper.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Oven Baked
Cuisine: English