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Mary Berry Mini Christmas Cakes Recipe

Mary Berry Mini Christmas Cakes Recipe

Mary Berry's mini Christmas cakes are individual rich fruit cakes with marzipan and royal icing — perfect for gifts and celebrations.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 Cakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 720
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Rich Fruit Cake:
  • 175 g unsalted butter softened
  • 175 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 200 g plain flour sifted
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp black treacle
  • 500 g mixed dried fruit
  • 100 g glacé cherries halved, rinsed and dried
  • 50 g mixed peel
  • 50 g blanched almonds roughly chopped
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed orange
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 3 tbsp brandy plus extra for feeding
  • Marzipan Layer:
  • 500 g good quality marzipan
  • 3 tbsp apricot jam warmed and sieved
  • Royal Icing:
  • 500 g icing sugar sifted
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp glycerine
  • Decoration:
  • Festive ribbon sugar decorations, silver balls, icing sugar

Method
 

  1. Night before: soak dried fruit and cherries in brandy. Cover and leave overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 150°C / 130°C fan / Gas 2. Grease and double-line six 10cm round tins.
  3. Beat butter and dark brown sugar 4–5 minutes. Add treacle. Add eggs one at a time. Sift in flour and spices — fold gently. Add soaked fruit and liquid, peel, almonds, and zests. Fold until combined.
  4. Divide evenly between tins. Level surfaces. Bake 50–60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
  5. Pierce tops and bases with a skewer. Brush each cake with 1 tsp brandy. Wrap in parchment and foil. Store and feed every 3–4 days until ready to decorate.
  6. Brush cakes with apricot jam. Cover tops and sides with rolled marzipan. Leave to dry 24 hours.
  7. Whisk egg whites and lemon juice until foamy. Beat in icing sugar until stiff peaks. Beat in glycerine. Apply to cakes and peak or smooth as desired. Decorate while slightly soft. Leave to set fully.
  8. Tie with ribbon. Store in a cool, dry place.

Notes

Soak fruit overnight — 24 to 48 hours gives an even better result.
Rinse, dry, and flour glacé cherries to prevent sinking.
Feed regularly with brandy after baking — this develops the flavour significantly.
Allow marzipan to dry for a full 24 hours before applying royal icing.
Add glycerine to the royal icing to prevent it setting rock hard.
Make at least 1 week ahead — 2 to 3 weeks is even better.
Store iced cakes in a cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks — do not refrigerate.
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