Here’s a recipe I came across on EzineArticles for homemade mini fruit cakes. That’s something I hadn’t come across before so I thought I’d re-publish the recipe here. The idea of little, individual fruit cakes is quite appealing so I think I may well give them a try!

Mini Fruit Cake Recipe

During the holiday season, I like to spend an afternoon making some delicious homemade mini fruit cakes. Making and serving these delectable goodies has been around for centuries. You will usually see them served around the holiday season or at wedding celebrations.

You will find that various cultures will have a different twist on the traditional recipe, however, the following recipe is done in the American tradition. When I make this fruit cake, I bake them in a muffin tin or in mini loaf pans. If desired, you can certainly bake them in a regular loaf pan or round cake pan.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups eggnog

1 1/2 cups mixed candied fruits

1 1/2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

additional eggnog

(optional) candied cherry halves

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the granulated sugar with the softened butter until it’s light and creamy. Beat in both eggs until combined. In another bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture and then beat in the eggnog until all ingredients are well combined. Fold in the chopped candied fruits. If the mixture is stiff, stir by hand.

Lightly spray your muffin or mini loaf pans with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Spoon the batter into your desired pans. Place pans into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until they are done and the centers test clean with a toothpick. Remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar, nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Add in enough eggnog to make the mixture of drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glazed over the cooled fruit cakes.

If desired, top the fruit cakes with candied cherry halves for garnishing and store them in an airtight storage container.

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking and baking for her friends and family, especially during the holiday season. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com or her recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for additional free recipes.

Author: Shelly Hill
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

My mother used to make a really nice boiled fruit cake that I have never managed to find the recipe for. I think that her recipe used to contain some crushed pineapple. Has anyone got a boiled cake recipe with pineapple in it?

I used to have a recipe for boiled fruit case and it was delicious and so moist but have lost it. Would appreciate any recipes please.

A rich moist chocolate cake recipe

produces a cake that will be enjoyed by everybody as one of the ultimate comfort foods. Chocolate cakes come in all shapes and sizes but never fail to satisfy when a little indulgence is needed. I haven’t tried all the recipes yet but it’s my ambition to do so. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it!!

Meanwhile, here’s a fairly standard moist chocolate cake recipe that produces a nice cake which everybody should enjoy. The ingredients are in both metric and imperial, but don’t mix them – use one or the other or this moist chocolate cake recipe may be a disaster!

Metric Ingredients

275g soft brown sugar
25g cocoa powder

225g flour
2 x 5m spoons baking powder
1 x 2.5 ml spoon bicarbonate of soda
1 x 2.5 ml spoon salt
100 g butter/margarine
1 x 5 ml spoon vanilla essence
2 eggs – separated
150 ml sour cream

Icing:

100 g softened butter/margarine
225 g icing sugar
100 g plain chocolate pieces
1 x 15 ml spoon milk
25 g chopped nuts

Imperial Ingredients

10 oz soft brown sugar
1 oz cocoa powder
3 fl oz water
8 oz flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz butter/margarine
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs – separated
1/4 pint sour cream

Icing:

4 oz softened butter/margarine
8 oz icing sugar
4 ozplain chocolate pieces
1 tbs spoon milk
1 oz chopped nuts

Heat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4.

Put the water, cocoa powder and 3oz/75g of the sugar in a pan, stir and heat gently until simmering. After a few minutes remove the smooth mixture from the heat and allow to cool down.

Place the all the dry ingredients in a suitable bowl and sift in the flour. In another bowl gently cream together the butter/margarine and the rest of the sugar until fluffy before adding the egg yolks and vanilla essence. Continue beating unti light. Add the cooled cocoa mixture, then fold in the dry ingredients and sour cream a little at a time.

Finally, beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold gently into the cake mixture to achieve a uniform mixture.

Grease a deep 7 in/17.5 cm round baking tin, pour the cake mixture in and transfer to the pre-heated oven.

Follow this moist chocolate cake recipe accurately and typically the cake will take about 1 1/4 hours to bake but as always, ovens vary and the cake should be tested. It is cooked When a skewer or cocktail stick comes out of the cake clean.

Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before carefully removing from the tin and returning to the rack to allow it to cool completely.

For the icing, use an electric or hand whisk to beat the butter/margarine until fluffy and light. Continue beating gently while adding the icing sugar until well mixed.

Melt the chocolate with the milk in a bowl over a pan of hot water. When conpletely melted add it to the creamed butter and sugar mix and blend gently together.

Split the cake horizontally into two layers and spread about two-thirds of the icing onto the bottom layer.

Stack the top layer back on the cake and spread the top of the cake with the remaining icing.

Sprinkle with the chopped nuts to finish, and find some friends to congratulate you on finding a moist chocolate cake recipe, and to share the homemade cake with!