Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Mini Christmas Cakes – gift! Recipe
Mini Christmas Truffles! Nice to serve at gatherings and excellent for gifting – lengthy shelf life, packages up fantastically, straightforward to make and economical. Made with my basic Christmas cake batter, the wealthy fruit cake is moist and velvety.
Listed below are the Mini Christmas Truffles I promised in final weeks’ Vacation Reward Information!! That is simply my basic Christmas Cake transformed into mini kind. They appear so nice on a platter to serve at gatherings, and are additionally excellent for gifting as a result of they’ve an extended shelf life. The cake is fantastically moist, wealthy with dried fruit, perfumed with Christmas spices. Dense, however gentle pudding-like, not like a brick as many retailer purchased ones are.
I additionally like that they’re straightforward to decorate up for serving and gifting, as a result of this Christmas Cake is designed to be eaten plain. So that you don’t have to fuss to work round frosting or add a sauce for serving. Simply mud with icing sugar, then for an additional Christmassy contact, tie a ribbon round each and add a sprig of rosemary!
Additionally – the choice so as to add a Christmas pudding drippy glaze!
A LOT of dried fruit and little or no cake batter!! 🙂
1. SOAKED DRIED FRUIT (booze optionally available)
Right here’s what you want for the Soaked Dried Fruit. The fruit is soaked in both apple juice OR a mix of apple juice and brandy (for many who like boozy Christmas Cake).
Dried fruit combine speedy choice – Whereas I like to cut my very own dried fruit (cake is softer, you get higher flavour and I can use the ratios I like), be at liberty to make use of a retailer purchased mixture of pre chopped dried fruit for comfort.
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Use any dried fruit you need – So long as it weighs 855g / 30 oz in complete. The choice above is the combination I like!
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Combined peel is a retailer purchased mixture of dried, crystallised (ie sugared) lemon and orange peel. Normally it comes pre chopped – I like to cut it a bit finer. I like much less citrus peel than some recipes as a result of I’m too scarred by all these occasions I bit into an enormous piece of orange peel. Simply to not my style! Don’t use FRESH orange and lemon peel, it will likely be too sturdy and too bitter. I have no idea how a lot contemporary peel to substitute this for.
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Juice and/or booze – for a standard boozy Christmas Cake, simply swap 1/3 of the apple juice with brandy. May also sub apple juice with orange juice if you would like a stronger citrus flavour.
2. CHRISTMAS CAKE BATTER
And right here’s what you want for the cake batter half. The cake has little or no baking powder as a result of it’s fairly a dense cake with a pudding-like texture. However it’s nonetheless received a definite “cake” texture – in contrast to some Christmas Truffles which might be so dense they’re like consuming fudge!
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Brown sugar – Darkish brown sugar provides the cake a richer color and that’s what I take advantage of for my basic single giant Christmas cake. For particular person ones, I desire a barely lighter colored crumb so the fruit bits stand out extra, so I take advantage of common brown sugar.
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Molasses / golden syrup – provides to the richness of flavour and color of cake. Both is ok – I interchange 12 months on 12 months.
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Walnuts – sub with any nuts of selection, or depart it out fully.
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Oil AND butter – oil is what provides this cake an excellent moistness. Butter is for flavour!
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Eggs – That is what makes the cake maintain collectively moderately than being crumbly.
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Flour – Simply common plain / all-purpose flour. Self elevating flour can be utilized to substitute the flour and baking powder however the cake might dome a bit of greater than pictured.
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Spices – All spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Basic Christmas cake flavours!
The one distinction between this and my basic Christmas Cake is that I bake it in a sq. pan so I can reduce into sq. particular person truffles.
Pan measurement – I take advantage of a 20 cm / 8″ sq. pan which makes a 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall cake so when reduce into 9 squares, they’re a pleasant tall peak and spectacular gift-giving measurement. Be at liberty to make use of a bigger pan – for instance, a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan will make a 2.3cm / 1″ tall cake which you’ll reduce into extra items. You may as well use a muffin tin lined with silver foil patties.
1. Baking the Christmas cake
The important thing step that makes this a lot sooner to make than different fruit truffles is the fruit soaking step. Most recipes name for dried fruit to be soaked in a single day. I take a speedy strategy: simply microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to absorb the liquid. A lot sooner – and simply as efficient!
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Soak fruit – Microwave the dried fruit with the juice/model for 1 1/2 minutes or till scorching. Stir to coat then put aside for 1 hour to let the fruit take in the liquid and plump up.
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Batter – Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute till gentle and fluffy. Due to the amount of sugar vs butter, it gained’t look creamy however you’ll be able to inform it’s gentle from the feel. Then beat within the oil and molasses, then the salt, spices and baking powder. Then beat within the eggs separately, beating till simply integrated.
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Combine within the flour utilizing a picket spoon.
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Soaked fruit – Then combine within the dried fruit, together with any residual liquid left within the backside of the bowl.
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Pan – Pour the batter right into a lined 20cm / 8″ pan. It’ll fill it proper to the highest and that’s tremendous, the cake barely rises. As famous above, it’s a dense cake but it surely’s not brick-like! It’s nonetheless distinctly cakey.
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Bake 2 1/2 hours – Cowl the cake with a sheet of baking paper (which can peel off with out ripping the cake floor off), then foil. Then bake for two hours, take away foil and paper, then bake for an extra half-hour uncovered to color the floor.
Cool – Take away the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes within the pan earlier than transferred to a rack to totally cool.
2. Slicing mini truffles
I like to chop into 9 squares as a result of I believe the proportions look good and the cake is a gift-worthy measurement. To be particular, they’re 6.5cm / 2 1/2″ squares which might be 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall. As famous above, be at liberty to make use of totally different measurement pans. For instance, a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan will make a cake that’s 2.3cm / 1″ tall and it is possible for you to to chop many extra items.
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Slicing – Trim the sides (to make the perimeters neat). Then reduce the cake into items as desired. I do 9 squares.
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Trim floor – The floor of the cake is ever so barely domed. So to make the Christmas Cake into good uniform items, I trim the floor then flip them the other way up and adorn the bottom.
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Flip and mud or ice – Flip the cake the other way up so the bottom of the cake is the facet you adorn. Then both mud with icing sugar (straightforward choice I take advantage of when gift-wrapping), or adorn drippy-style with white frosting (for a basic Christmas Pudding look) or prime with fondant (see basic Christmas Cake recipe for instructions).
As I discussed earlier, Mini Christmas Truffles have of their favour as a do-it-yourself gifting thought. They’re:
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Simple to make
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Economical – particularly if you happen to use a combined fruit choice as an alternative of getting particular person dried fruits
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Simple to embellish – Only a dusting of icing sugar makes them immediately Christmassy! Although tying ribbon across the cake actually is a simple solution to make them much more gift-worthy. 🙂
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Simple to reward wrap – no want to search out particular measurement jars of reward baggage. Simply wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon.
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Lengthy shelf life – This one is necessary to me! A number of years in the past I did cookies however they only don’t have an important shelf life. It’s uncommon for any cookie to actually stay in top-notch contemporary kind past 2 days. Wheres the Christmas Cake? I’ve stored mine within the fridge for a month and it was nonetheless like freshly made. How good is that!
Like to understand how you current these Mini Christmas Truffles if you happen to attempt them, or the way you customise the cake to your style. Share within the feedback beneath – readers love getting inspiration!
Additionally, spoiler alert for my pals – you’re all getting Mini Christmas Truffles this 12 months. 😂 – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 300g / 10 oz raisins
- 150g / 5 oz diced dried apricots , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 75g / 2 1/2 oz mixed peel , diced 5mm / 1/5
- 150g / 5 oz glace cherries , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 180g / 6 oz dates , diced 5mm / 1/5"
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice , OR 1/3 brandy + 2/3 juice (Note 2)
- 115g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar , packed (or dark brown sugar for a darker crumb, Note 3)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
- 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup (Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup walnuts , chopped (optional)
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- Christmas fondant – see directions here
- 1 1/2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp / 15g unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 – 3 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Heat – Place dried fruit and juice/brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes on high or until hot.
- Soak – Stir to coat all fruit in liquid. Cover then set aside for 1 hour (to plump up/soak and cool).
- Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 20cm / 8" square cake pan with baking paper / parchment paper, or larger pan to get more cakes out of it. (Note 5 on pan size).
- Beating – Using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute on speed 5). Add oil and molasses, beat until combined. Add salt, spices and baking powder – beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
- Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, then the dried fruit (including all the extra liquid in bowl) and walnuts (if using).
- Pour into the cake pan, it will fill it right to the top (it won't spill over, the cake barely rises). Cover the surface with paper then cover with foil.
- Bake 2 1/2 hours – Bake for 2 hours, remove the foil and paper, then bake for a further 30 minutes. A skewer inserted into middle should come out clean with no batter on it.
- Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.
- Cutting – Trim off the sides (to make them neat). Then cut into 9 squares (or more, if you want). Trim the surface (to make them level as the cake slightly domes). Then flip upside down and decorate the base of the cake.
- Simple – Dust with icing sugar. That's all this cake needs, it's so full flavoured and moist! Wrap with cellophane and ribbon to gift.
- Ribbon – Wrap and tie a ribbon around each cake. Nice way to present for serving. (Optional to include for gift wrapping too, but then there's a double ribbon situation happening – ie ribbon and cake, ribbon on cellophane!)
- Drippy white glaze – Mix the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and start with 2 tbsp milk. Mix really well (it will take time to come together, be patient). Then adjust thickness using 1/2 tsp milk at a time. BE CAREFUL – it goes from too thick to too thin very easily! Goal: Thick glaze that will ooze "pudding style", as pictured, rather than dripping in long streaks. Spoon onto cake, coaxing it down the sides. Allow to set before wrapping.
- Fondant – See directions in my classic round Christmas Cake.
- Serving – serve with custard for a traditional experience! Either homemade custard or store bought pouring custard.
Notes
1. Dried fruit – any fruit of choice can be used as long as it totals 855g / 30 oz and it’s finely chopped. Combination I’ve used is to my taste – I do not like my fruit cake too citrusy (hate biting into big chunks of orange peel!). I like having variety for flavour.
Mixed peel is a store bought mix of diced, dried, crystallised (ie sweet) orange and lemon peel. Sometimes it’s already chopped, sometimes not. Chop it to size per recipe. It is not fresh peel. Fresh peel will be much stronger and more bitter – not sure how much to use.
Pre chopped mixed dried fruit – store bought mix of pre chopped dried fruit is fine to use. Chopping your own will yield a more moist cake (pre chopped dried fruit is not as moist) BUT having said that, this cake is so ultra moist, it has the give to use pre chopped!
2. Juice / brandy – this cake tastes just as good made with or without alcohol, it comes down to personal taste. I usually make it without because Christmas Cake stretches far and I want everyone to be able to eat it.
BRANDY – If you want to use brandy, use 1/3 cup brandy PLUS 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp juice.
Juice – I like using apple juice for its neutral flavour. Pineapple and other not so strong flavoured juices will be fine here. If you like citrus flavour, use orange juice – you can taste it a bit more than other juices.
3. Dark brown sugar – makes the cake a rich dark brown colour. Can sub with normal brown sugar – will make cake lighter (also looks nice as fruit stands out!)
4. Molasses / golden syrup – adds to the richness of flavour and colour of cake. Either is fine – I interchange year on year.
5. Cake pan size – A square 20cm/8″ pan makes a 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall cake which is a nice height for 9 squares. Feel free to make this cake in a larger cake pan. a 23 x 33cm/9 x 13″ pan will make a cake 2.3cm / 0.9″ thick, it takes around 1 hour 45 minutes to bake (covered for 1 hour 15 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes). Don’t fret about exact baking times because the cake is very moist so it’s forgiving.
You can also use a muffin tin – silver liners look lovely. They take around 25 minutes to bake (no need to cover, just bake uncovered).
6. Serving – cake is moist and so full flavoured it’s wonderful eaten plain. But for an extra special touch, serve with custard.
7. Storage – I’ve kept it for a month in an airtight container in the fridge and it was good as it was freshly made (at room temperature). Having researched online, looks like 2 to 3 months is the general consensus (for fridge) and a year in the freezer (for this sort of cake, with no alcohol.
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