Small Christmas Cake
A Christmas cake just for one or two, this 5 inch Christmas cake is packed with lots of fruits, see post though for substitutions if you do not have everything listed as the recipe is very versatile.
Servings: 6 slices
Calories:
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Alter quantities (metric only) 6 slices
Here's what you'll need...
- 5 inch loose-bottomed cake tin
- Large saucepan preferably heavy based
Ingredients you'll need...
If you do not have all of the ingredients below, see blog post or Notes below for suggested substitutions. For example, you can use extra mixed fruit to replace the cranberries, or omit the prunes and use double apricots. You can even omit prunes or apricots and add the same amount of chopped stem ginger for a gingery kick. You can leave out the brandy if you like and add orange juice instead, or vice versa. Really anything goes!
Christmas Cake Stage 1
- 200 g Mixed dried fruit
- 75 g Dark muscovado sugar or dark brown sugar
- 50 g Unsalted butter
- 25 g Dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon Dark treacle (US = molasses)
- 1 teaspoon Cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon Ground mixed spice
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
- 115 ml Cold water
Christmas Cake Stage 2
- 25 g Prunes (ready to eat)
- 60 g Morello or glace cherries halved
- 35 g Dried Apricots (read to eat)
- 20 g Whole almonds chopped into small pieces - ie each one cut into three
- 20 g Walnuts chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon Brandy
- 1 tablespoon Orange juice (fresh)
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
Christmas Cake Stage 3
- 50 g Plain flour
- 50 g Self-raising flour
- 1 Large egg at room temperature and lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon pinch salt
- Demerara sugar to sprinkle of top (optional)
Here's what we do...
Christmas Cake Stage 1
- Add all of the Stage 1 ingredients to your saucepan.
- Heat on a low setting until your butter has melted, then turn up the heat and simmer gently for 1 minute.
- Leave to cool completely.
Christmas Cake Stage 2
- Once your Stage 1 mixture has cooled add all of your Stage 2 ingredients and mix together thoroughly.
Christmas Cake Stage 3
- Heat your oven 140°C Fan/160°C/320°FGas Mark 3.
- Line the base and sides of your 6 inch baking tin with greaseproof paper (see blog post for instructions).
- Sift together your flours and salt.
- Fold your beaten egg into your cooled dried fruits mixture and then gently fold in the flour until fully incorporated.
- Tip your Christmas Cake mixture into your prepared tin and sprinkle over a tablespoon or so of demerara sugar, if using.
- Bake in the centre of your pre-heated oven for about 1 hour and 5 minutes.
- Your cake is baked once it has set on top and is shiny and firm. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out with a few fudgy bits of cake still stuck to it, but without lots of wet cake batter.
- Leave to cool in your tin for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.
Supporting Notes
STORAGE
I tend to make it quite near to Christmas usually and so have never had to store it very long but if stored correctly it will keep for up to 4 months (maybe more but I have tried it beyond that!).
To store the cake once cool first wrap it in greaseproof (parchment) paper one way and then a piece the other way, so that the paper complete covers it. Then do the same with 2 large pieces of foil. Make sure all of the layers and nice and tight. Place the now fully covered cake into an air tight tin and then store at room temperature.
INGREDIENTS - SUBSTITUTIONS
Below are some suggestions for substitutions. Substitute for the same weight as listed in the recipe, for example, if using a bag of mixed fruit instead of raisins/currants/sultanas use 405 grams.
TOP TOPS
Raisins, Currants and Sultanas
Bag of mixed fruit or whatever raisins/currants/sultanas you have, but try to ensure the ratio of raisins/currants together is about 65% with the other 35% being made up of sultanas, as raisins/currants are key ingredients of fruit cake.
Apricots and Prunes
You can use more apricots than prunes or vice versa.
Or replace partly or entirely with dried raisins/currants/sultanas/cranberries/apricots/prunes/dates/figs as these will work just as well.
Or replace partly or entirely with dried raisins/currants/sultanas/cranberries/apricots/prunes/dates/figs as these will work just as well.
Dried cranberries
If you don't want to add cranberries just increase the amount of raisins/currants by 30 grams.
Walnuts and almonds
You can use change the ratio of walnuts to almonds and use more of one than the other, or use Chopped nuts/pecan nuts or a combination of any.
Morello glace cherries
Replace with glace cherries or leave them out entirely if you so wish. If leaving out I recommend you increase the number of prunes you add or replace with half prunes and half ready-to-eat dates or figs, chopped.
Dark muscovado sugar
You can replace it with light muscovado sugar, dark brown sugar or light brown soft sugar.
Treacle (molasses)
Can be replaced with the same amount of golden syrup or 1 tablespoon of honey.
Ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
In the UK you can replace all of these spices with 1.5 teaspoons of mixed spice. Don't be tempted to increase individual spices to compensate for each other though as it will affect the flavour of your Christmas Cake, instead best to leave it out entirely if you don't have them.
Cocoa
You can replace cocoa with a tablespoon of grated dark chocolate. We melt the chocolate with our butter so this stops it from setting, or omit entirely and add an extra tablespoon of flour.
Unsalted butter
You can use salted butter but omit the pinch of salt.
Satsumas
Can be replaced with juice from a whole orange. Orange zest can be replaced with lemon zest.
Brandy
Can be replaced with the same amount of Sherry or Port or with 2 teaspoons of Amaretto or Cointreau.
Demerara sugar
Can be replaced with a covering of blanched almonds.
- Check your dried fruits to ensure they are not stuck together in clumps and if so pull them apart.
- Ensure your Christmas cake is fully cooled before storing it otherwise, it can become a little sticky.