Contrary to popular opinion, many people do like fruit cake and it’s not just the elderly. Fruit cake is one of my favourite cakes, as it is my 14 year old sons! The secret, I think, is to have a really good recipe – try the one in my books, it often converts people that say they don’t like fruit cake!
I’ve just had a go at baking some mini fruit cakes in the 5cm (2in) multi mini cake tins that we stock. They’ve turned out really well, so I thought I’d share with you a few hints and tips. Regards the amount of mixture that you will need, I actually made my 20cm (8in) recipe but only used half, so if you only wanted to create 16 mini cakes then I suggest you use a recipe for a 15cm (6in) cake.
To line the tins, I placed a sheet of baking paper over the whole of the base of the tin and then cut strips of paper for each mould and slot into place. I didn’t fold or cut this as I would a normal cake tin – far too fiddly!
Adding the cake mixture was a little messy but using a small spoon helped. Children love helping out at this stage!
Mini Cakes waiting to be baked
I then baked the mini cakes for an hour – 30 mins at 150° and 30 mins at 120°
Baked Mini cakes
Perfect!
They are now in an airtight tin maturing and waiting to be decorated. I’ll let you see what I do with them anon.
P.S. These multi mini tins need to be washed by hand. Not for putting in a dishwasher.
I adore fruit cake too and it’s nice to know how to line the mini pans in order to bake them Lindy.
XXElizabeth
Here’s a tip for filling the mini cake tins. I use a nylon piping bag (no tube needed) and pipe the mixture into the tins.
Great tip – I’ll try it next time!
Lindy
I have made the mud cake as a 4 ” . I covered it with white chocolate paste mixed half with sugarpaste. It was delicious and not too sweet. Many thanks.
Leonie
Just signed on for the first time. I love fruit cake and cannot wait to try the mini cake tins, they look so moist lindy. And such a good idea to fill them using a piping bag thanks for the idea Sue.
Deborah.
Hi Lindy
I made a 7″ fruit cake using the cakes to inspire and desire book of yours. However when I cut it the outside area cuts fine but as I get to the middle section the cake crumbles into prieces. what am I doing worng?
Rachel
Young fruit cake always tends to crumble so my guess is that you need to let your cake mature, traditionally this is 3 months.
I hope this answers your question
Lindy
I’ve just made a 6 inch fruit cake from your inspire and desire book and i must say i’m converted to fruit cake now! the house smells lovley lol, my only question is my cake didn’t rise to the full 3 in depth of the tin although i did wrap paper round the tin, is this normal for it to be only 2inches deep? if it is whould i be able to use the 7 inch recepie and put it the 6 inch tin?
voglio soltanto complimentarmi con Lindy Smith,bravissima!
Hi Debbie
We’re all wondering why your 6 inch fruit cake was so shallow. Fruit cakes are not cakes that rise very much at all, you’ll get a slight doming and that is about it. This seems to suggest that you didn’t have enough mixture or the cake tin was bigger than you thought? We are delighted that you loved the recipe.
Hopefully this is just a one off blip and your cakes will be 3 inches high in future
Andy
Hi,
Last pm I baked a 8″sq fruit cake from your recipe in your “Celebrate with a cake” book as a practice run for a wedding cake for my daughters wedding (July).
I baked it in my Fan oven but although I followed the oven manual instructions re-converting the temperature to a fan oven, I think it must have been too low as it took nearly 2 hrs longer to cook than it should have. I cooked the cake at 130c for the 1st 1 3/4 hrs (the book gives 150c) and then lowered it to 100c( book temp is 120c) for the second half ,which should have been 3 1/4 hrs but turned out to almost 5hrs.
Have you any advice for converting conventional oven temperatures in your recipes to a Fan oven.?
It smells really lovely but I hope it is cooked fully. I am keeping it until Christmas before I sample.thanks Marion H.
The mini fruit cakes look great and I want to do some as Christmas presents and decorate them like your mini cakes in Cakes to Inspire and Desire. You say that you were leaving them to mature do you leave them to mature for the same amount of time as a normal christmas cake? I am worried that they might dry out if done too early as they are so small.
Hi Carolyn
I have placed mine in an airtight container to prevent the cakes drying out, they are now 3 months old and beautifully moist.
I agree they make ideal Christmas presents
have fun
Lindy
Hi Marion
All ovens bake cakes slightly differently, the trick is to get to know your oven. From what you tell me I would suggest that you either raise your temperature by say 10 degrees or accept that the cake will take longer to bake in your oven at the temperatures you used. My mother bakes in an aga and bakes her fruit cakes over night in the slow oven! On the other hand I use a fan oven and have found that it bakes well at the temperatures that are in my books i.e. I don’t need to reduce the temperature. This is not however true of all ovens. If you are really concerned about the exact temperature of your oven, then I suggest that you invest in an oven thermometer – you might well be suprised at the results!
Enjoy your Christmas cake
Lindy
I have made really good Christmas cakes for many many years but for the last two years my cake has crumbled in the middle when cut even though it is moist. Can you help please before I bake this year’s. I know that I am a little late this year.
Hi Lindy
I am just about to make my first batch of mini fruit cakes- using your book Cakes to Inspire it says to make up a batter as you would for a 7″ cake- I have just left the fruit soaking in brandy but realise there will be far too much mixture- I see your blog says to try for a 6″ cake- wish I had read that earlier!! I love your books- I am looking forward to coming to your class in February! I am learning on my own at the moment-when I use a cutter my shapes have a feathered effect 9on the edges- I think I have solved it by using white veg fat- is that correct? Do you want to see a picture of my first (horrnedous) practice attempt on a dummy? LOL!!
Sorry Lindy I have another query!! I have made the first batch of mini fruit cakes- how much marzipan and sugarpaste do I need to get to cover them with please?
Hello Shirley
We find the answer is to leave your cake to mature. This helps with the carving – the longer you store it the better it should be to cut. We recommend storing a fruit cake for 3 months, mind you I do love eating a freshly baked fruit cake even though it tends to fall appart!
Hope this helps.
Jane
Hello Amanda
You don’t say how big your cakes are and how many! You could try starting with 1kg of each. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Jane
Hello Amanda,
Hope the mini fruit cakes went well! The best way to use the cutters is to put the paste on top of the cutter and roll over the top with your rolling pin. Rub your finger around the edge of the cutter and push the paste out using a fine paintbrush – See our post on this. The white fat is used to rub onto the surface to stop the sugarpaste sticking to it.
Good Luck
my big christmas cake taste great but when cut it crumbles any ideas please
Traditionally fruit cakes are left to mature, one reason for this is to allow the cakes to settle and ease carving. A fresh fruitcake in my experience often crumbles but leave it for a few months and it carves like a dream!!
Hi Lindy
I am about to atempt the red heart cake in your book “celebrate with a cake” I am making the madeira cake for the first time. could you tell me if i need to make two cakes when using madeira cake and sandwich together as I do with a sponge cakes.? not sure how deep the madeira cakes turn out as this is the first time I will have made them.
Many thanks
Deborah.
Hi Deborah
You will only need one cake – good luck
Hi Lindy, Just wanted to let you know that your fruit cake recipe (Celebrate with a cake )was delicious.In Oct I posted a thread re- the length of time it took to bake my fruit cake and asking some advice.I wasn’t able to say how well it turned out as I was keeping it for Christmas.
It was maturing for approx 2 1/2 months and the flavour is really lovely (not just my opinion) As some experienced in previous posts, it crumbled slightly but I put that down to not giving it enough time to mature. However it was lovely and moist despite me not adding additional brandy after cooking.
I need to do one for the beginning of July. Would it be too ssoon to bake it 4 months ahead of time or would I run the risk of it drying out? many thanks
I would bake it now then wrap it up in greaseproof and put in an airtight container.
Happy Baking
Lindy
Hi Lindy,
I have just read your blog about mini fruit cakes and you say to follow the recipe in “my books” so I looked at your books, but which one should I buy for the basic recipes?
Thanks, Dianne.
Either ‘Cakes to Inspire and Desire‘ or ‘Celebrate with a Cake‘
Hi Lindy,
I have a question about cake boards.
Someone once told me that you can’t put a fruit cake directly on a silver covered board because it will react. Is this true?
I have also been told the boards are not food grade and should be covered first.
I have been look for infomation on either of these topics, but haven’t found anything. What do you think?
Mel
P.s I have your wonky video and love it!!!
Hello Mel,
You need to have a barrier between the fruit cake and the silver covering of the cake board. Place the cake on a layer of marzipan before placing on the board.
Jane
hi there will a 8 inch furit cake be mature enought to cut without falling apart after one month?
Hi Lindy
I’m going to make some fruit cakes from your cakes to inspire and desire book, and as I don’t want to use ground almonds (due to nut allergy) I was wondering if I need to replace them with – will the cake need extra flour and fat to replace the bulk and oil of the ground almonds? I would replace the whole almonds with extra fruit, but am not sure what to do about the ground ones.
Also, how often should I feed the cake with brandy?
Thank you
Rebecca
You should add extra flour to make up for the ground almonds that you are missing out.
As far as feeding the cake with brandy, this should be done soon after baking.
When the cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool slightly and then add your alcohol. Adding this while the cake is still warm means that the flavour of the alcohol will be properly absorbed into the cake. Adding alcohol later on when the cake is cool can make the cake soggy without adding extra flavour.
We would recommend maturing fruit cake for a full 3 months to make cutting easier.
If however you only have one month to work with, you may find the middle of the cake falls apart slightly.
Allow for this by having an extra cake or a larger cake so that you are left with enough “easily sliceable” cake.
Could anyone advise me about using cake dowels for a stacked cake.I have purchased plastic ones but they are slightly rounded at both ends and I am worried that there is a risk they might slip because they are not flat at the ends.Should I cut them at both ends?? I would appreciate any comments as I have never used dowels before.
Lindy normally uses wooden dowels when stacking cakes for just this reason. However you can just cut them so they are flat if you wish!
Click here to see the dowels that Lindy uses and recommends
Hi Lindy and Team,
Could you use ameretto instead of brandy in a fruit cake? I used ameretto in my Christmas puddings that I made last year and they tasted great.
Gary
Yes, why not give it a try!
Hi Lindy. Last year we made a fantastic Christmas cake in a 8″ round tin. This year, we’d like to make two smaller cakes with the same quantity. We’ve figured out from your website that we need a 6″ tin. Do we have to adjust the cooking temperature and/or time too? Last year we baked it for one hour at GM 2 then 3 and a half hours at GM 1. Thanks.
Hi,
I’m having a bit of a nightmare. I’m making a friend’s wedding cakes for this Saturday and when I went to marzipan the 12 inch round fruit cake this afternoon (from ‘Cakes to Inspire and Desire’), I realised that it wasn’t at all cooked. When I took it out the oven, it felt firm and I did prick it with a cake tester a few times, which came out clean. The cake was also beginning to come away from the sides of the tin so I was sure it was cooked – but obviously not.
I’m going to have to bake another one tomorrow (I know that this means the cake will crumble when cut and that it won’t taste as good as the flavours won’t have had any time to mature but unfortunately I have no choice).
I assume that I simply didn’t give it enough time to cook but also want to check a few things – do you use medium or large eggs in the recipe? I also substituted the chopped almonds for the ground almonds, so put in 300g ground almonds – would this have made any difference?
I hope you can help!
THANKS,
Emily
Hi Emily
Sorry to here you are having a tricky time with your cake. I have just spoken to Lindy about your queries. She always uses large eggs. If anything the ground almonds would have made your cake drier. Lindy thinks you have simply not cooked it long enough. She would recommend using a knife as your cake tester as it is a wider area to test. Good luck and we hope it turns out well for you. Do send us a picture of the finished cake!
Best wishes
KiwiRachel
hi could anyone tell me roughly on these little cakes how much sugarpaste needed to cover one?
thank you for any help here
the tins ive got are 6.5cm hope this helps
Hi there
I have my first ever fruit cake in the oven as i type – i am decorating this as a birthday cake for my mum for Boxing day so hopefully it will be matured enough, but i will need to decorate it and deliver it at the beginning of November as she lives 250 miles away. Will the cake continue to mature and improve under the icing, and will it have settled sufficiently in 3 weeks to be safe to ice and decorate without risk of collapse? Fruit cake is a whole new medium for me and rather daunting! But it’s smelling great!! ( I used Lindy’s recipe from Inspire and Desire…yum!)
Thanks very much, Emma x
Hello Fran,
A 6″ round fruit cake would need to be cooked at Gas 2 for 50 mins then turn the oven down to Gas 1/2 (half) for 1hr 40mins.
Hope this helps.
Jane
I am also having a nightmare like Emily, I have made a 12 inch square for my friends silver wedding celebration party. I made one and it wasn’t cooked properly so made another and now it seems way to dry! Help please I only have 2 weeks to the event.
Hello Julie,
We tend to use about 250g of paste. This is too much to cover the cake but it gives you a good amount to be able to roll out and place over the cake.
Jane
Hello Emma,
You should have no problem with your cake. The only thing you need to remember is to store the cake once covered in a cardboard box – do not put it in an airtight box or your sugarpaste may sweat and your cake will go soggy. Good luck!
Hello louharper98,
I am sorry that this reply may come a little too late!
If you cake it too dry you could try feeding the cake with some alcohol to moisten it.
Finding the ideal baking time for any cake recipe with your own oven can be a trial and error process.
Always jot down on the recipe how long the cake needs in your oven so that you remember for next time.
I do hope your cake turned out ok in the end.
Im just about to bake my first ever fruit cake, from the cakes to inspire & desire, but I’m not sure if I need to alter the stated temperature for my fan assisted oven, or turn the fan off? I want to start now but cant find the answer!
hi i have made some mini christmas cakes and they are yummy, do i have to marzipan then sugarpaste?
and i want to give them as presents in a cellophane bag will this make the cake sweat or will it be ok, how long will it keep in the cellophane bag giving them out on the 12th dec.
many thanks jo
Hello Lise,
I always turn my fan oven down 10 degrees on all recipes. For a Madeira I turn it down 20 degrees, but this is through practice as I have found this works better for my oven. All ovens are different. It may be worth turning off the fan and just using it as a conventional oven this time, until you have practiced a few times!
Jane
Hello Joanne,
You would need to cover the cakes twice, either in a layer of marzipan and then sugarpaste, or two layers of sugarpaste. They would sweat if you kept them in the cellophane bags. We have some individual cupcake boxes that would be suitable.
Jane
Hi Lindy,
Have just found your website and would love any knowledge on the Silverwood Mini Heart Tin Pan.
As a massive favour I’m making 80 wedding favours using these pans.
The dilemma I’m facing is to use either fruit cake or sponge. I presume sponge will only leave me a week to complete everything (the icing scares me!). Am I right saying you’ve used Madeira cake as your fruit cake recipe?
I only have approx 7 weeks until the wedding so if I made them within the next two weeks using Madeira, iced them 2 weeks before the wedding, and wrapped them up in greaseproof paper,cling film and stored them in an airtight container, I should be safe to say they won’t go off/dry?
I’m more experienced with sponge but do not want the panic of doing everything in a week! I’m just worried about how easily they will burn in the oven if I’m out only a few mins out. I have got the ready cut liners, are they too short for Madeira cake?
Sorry for so many questions but there is literally no advice for this type of pan on the net!
I’m so tired! I didn’t mean Madeira! Though I’ve just found Madeira lasts 2 weeks so this might be my saving grace! I thought all sponge cakes barely lasted a week!
So if I do Madeira (I’m so buying your book as everyone speaks so positively about it!!!!):
Make cakes 2 weeks before wedding, Bake 16, Ice 16 per day (can I put ribbon on at this point or will they soak up grease?). Wrap them up as you say, and then the day before, attach to cake board, plop ready made decoration on top and place in favour box? Or does this bit have to happen the morning of the wedding?
Sorry for the double post – as you can see I’m up late worrying!
Hi Ivy,
Lindy suggests using a fruit cake as this will keep for a lot longer than the Madeira and guests will probably not eat the favours that day, and will take them home and eat them later.
Once the favours are iced, air dry them and then place them individually in PVC boxes as these are not air tight and the guests can take them home with them.
If you are using the Madeira, Lindy has the 2 week rule. 1 week to bake and decorate, 1 week to eat.
Madeira can be frozen so you could bake it and freeze it and then a week before they are to be eaten, you could ice them.
For the ribbon Lindy advises to only use edible ribbon, you can achieve this using the multi size ribbon cutter: http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/OnlineShop-FMMCutters.htm#MultiRibbonCutter
Again once they are iced, air dry them and place in the pVC boxes.
Hope this helps
Marina
i have a couple of you books and the cooking temperatures for the madiera and fruit cakes. are they for fan or conventional ovens i have only got conventional oven do i still use the same temperature as your books state thank you
Hi
I’m new to fruit cakes and cant wait to try this recipe.
Just wondering though when I’m maturing the cake do I store it in the fridge. I live in a very humid climate. Thanks so much.
Hi Margaret,
Lindy’s recipes are all based on conventional ovens.
Enjoy your baking.
Marina
Hi Maria,
In the UK we keep items airtight all year round but as you are in a very humid climate this may not been the solution for you.
Can anyone else advise on Maria’s blog question? “I’m new to fruit cakes and cant wait to try this recipe.
Just wondering though when I’m maturing the cake do I store it in the fridge. I live in a very humid climate. Thanks so much.”
Thanks everyone
Marina
We asked this question on our facebookpage and here is one of the responses:
“My family is from the Caribbean and what we normally do is soak fruits first for a minimum 3 months and then use them to make the cake. The longer the fruits soak the better the cake. Then all we do is “soak” the cake once and day and keep it in a dark, dry room.” Natasha Pennant
Hi
Have been recommended your site for a question I have. I am looking to cook a quantity of 4″ fruit cakes but have no idea what time to give them. Can you help?
Hi Joy,
We are pleased to hear that you have been recommended to our blog.
Lindy would bake a 4in round fruit cake for an hour – 30 mins at 150° and 30 mins at 120°
I hope this helps you.
Marina
Hi Lindy. I have just bought Alan Silverwood 16 mini cake tin (each tin is 2.5″). I have never made mini fruit cakes and I wondered if you would be kind enough to advise me on the quantity I will need to make all 16 (using your fruit cake recipe from ‘Celebrate with a Cake’ and also what temperature and how long should I cook them for? Thanks!
HI Teresa,
Use a 6 inch recipe for these and bake the mini cakes for an hour – 30 mins at 150° and 30 mins at 120°.
Happy baking!
Marina
Hi Lindy & team
I have your book ‘Cakes to Inspire and Desire’. I notice inone of the pictures you show lining a Silverwood multisize tin. Are the cooking times and temperatures for your fruit cake recipe appropriate for this tin? The packaging for my tin recommends to always bake at a lower temperature than the recipe shows – should I be doing this for your fruit cake recipe or is it ok to use the one specified in the book?
Thanks for your help!
Isobel
Hi Isobel,
With the multisize tins we recommend baking at a lower temperature as the metal separators will retain heat and cook the edges of each cake quicker than one whole big cake.
Hope it is a sweet success.
Marina
Hi Lindy & Team,
I would like to bake a fruit cake in a in a 1 litre Pyrex bowl. What quantity would I use for the mixture and how long would it need to bake for? I have tried a six inch round but it was rather small and very dry.
Many thanks for your help.
Katja
Hi Katja,
Please refer to the quantities blog post that shows you how to work out what amount of ingredients and time you will need: http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/Blog/2009/07/27/how-to-i-change-a-cake-recipe-quanities/
Happy baking!
Marina
Hi i would love to buy ur book to make the mini fruit cakes could you tell me which book this is in please. Gem.
Hi Gemma
Lindy’s mini cakes are featured in her latest book, The Contemporary Cake Decorating Bible. Please see the link below.
Happy Baking!
Zoe
ps if you buy the book from us, Lindy will sign it for you if you request it on your order.
Hi,
I have been asked to make two mini fruit cakes, approx 3 inches square – I could not find tins small enough so I thought I would cut them from a larger cake. I have used Lindy’s fruit cake recipe in The Contemporary Cake Decorating Bible and baked it in a loaf tin. The cake seems fine (I had some mixture left over so I baked it in a spare tin and I have tried it) my only concern is the lightness in colour. I realise that fruit cake darkens as it matures but it still seems rather light compared to the Christmas cake I made (using a different recipe) – is this correct? Is your recipe for a lighter cake?
I made the cake on 24th Jan for a wedding on 25th Feb so it will not have the 3months to mature as you suggest.
My worst fear is cutting the cake the week of the wedding and discovering it is not cooked or something.
Thanks for your help
Sue
Dear Sue
It sounds like Lindy’s cake recipe is a lighter one than the Christmas one you made. Did you check your cake was firm and a skewer inserted came out clean when you cooked it?
Good luck!
Zoe
Reading through the posts I see that the recommendation for fruit cake is for three months to mature. Is this a minimum of three months as I would like to make a 12″ round fruit cake for a wedding in mid July (4 and a half months time). Is it ok to make it now?
Thanks
Helen
Yes helen, this is a minimum of 3 months. So get baking….The more mature a cake the richer the flavour and the easier it is to cut.
Good luck with the wedding cake
Lindy
Hi Lindy and team,
I am making my first wedding cake for a colleague and I have a couple of questions! I’m making a 4 tier cake with the top tier a 4″ fruit cake which the bride & groom wish to keep for their son’s christening. I’m considering buying the fruit cake from a local cake decoration store before decorating it myself. If I do this, will I need to soak the cake with alcohol? Also, as I only have just over a month before the wedding, if I make the fruit cake now will it go on maturing once iced, after the wedding?
Many thanks, C x
Hello Clair,
I’m not sure whether you would need to feed the cake – check with the assistant in the shop.
If you are going to save the top tier it is advisable to remove the icing and marzipan and then freeze it.
Jane