Reviving a Christmas classic, in partnership with California Grown.
Making Mini Fruit Cakes cake doesn’t deserve the wrap that it gets! If you like fruit, rum and dessert this is the cake for you. I like to make mine in mini sizes. It throws people off and they are more likely to try it.
A Bit of History
Many people think of England when it comes to the notorious fruit cake but the cake actually dates all the way back to ancient Egypt. Fruit cake was made with pine nuts, honeyed wine, pomegranate, raisins, barley and other dried fruits. Many speculate that the first fruit cakes were made as a way to preserve fruit. By soaking dried fruit in alcohol the shelf life can be greatly extended. This preservation method has done such a good job that the oldest fruit cake is more than 4,000 years old. A record holding fruit cake was discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb and dated to 4,000 years old. I’m willing to bet that the now famous fruit cake was gifted to that mummified person by some loving great aunt. But, I digress.
Fruit cakes is a lot better when it isn’t 4,000 years old, and when you make it with quality fruits and good rum. What could be better than fruit soaked in rum? Baking that fruit into adorable Mini Fruit Cakes, that’s what.
I know you want to get into this Christmas cliche, so let’s.
You Will Need
Mini Fruit Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 granny smith apple peeled and grated
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 stick of butter room temp
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 cup of chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
Instructions
- 24 hours before you want to bake your fruit cake, chop and combine dried fruit in a large mixing bowl. Pour rum over all the fruit and give it a good mix. Cover this and let it sit out at room temperature for at least 24 hours. You may choose to let it soak longer if you wish.
- When your fruit has soaked for at least 24 hours and you are ready to bake preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, spices and citrus zests. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time until combined.Slowly add in the orange juice.
- Grate one granny smith apple and add it to the mixture.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Finally, fold in the soaked fruit mixture.
- Prepare a cupcake tin with paper liners.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake cavity 2/3 of the way with the mixture.
- Bake for 22-24 min.
Our Mini Fruit Cakes cake pair well with cream cheese frosting. You can find a great recipe for cream cheese frosting here.
I really hope you try out home Mini Fruit Cakes this year. It’s kind of my goal to make fruit cake sexy again. Together, we can change her reputation. Happy Baking.
For More Baking
If you like this recipe you may also enjoy Rise and Shine Energy Bars from my friend Meg at This Mess is Ours. You may also have fun making these amazingly easy Cowboy Cookies from my friend K.C. at G-Free Foodie.
You may also enjoy these Fudge Chocolate Prune Cookies.
Recipe developed in partnership with California Grown.