Description
Little Frosty Christmas Cakes are delightful individual fruit cakes topped with a layer of marzipan and white icing, decorated with frosted cranberries and rosemary sprigs for a festive touch. Perfect for holiday celebrations, these charming cakes combine the warmth of spiced fruit cake with the sweetness of marzipan and the sparkle of sugared cranberries.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cakes
- Butter, for greasing
- 1 quantity Easy apple fruit cake, uncooked (recipe linked below)
Toppings and Decoration
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- 500g pack natural marzipan
- 500g pack ready-to-roll white icing
- 16 fresh cranberries
- Bunch rosemary, broken into small fronds
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 egg white
- 50g icing sugar
- Approx 1m gold ribbon
Instructions
- Prepare and Bake Cakes: Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C, gas mark 4). Butter eight 150ml ramekins thoroughly and line the bottoms with circles of non-stick baking paper. Evenly divide the uncooked fruit cake mixture among the ramekins, place them on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes until the cakes are springy to the touch and deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool until manageable. Then, run a round-edged knife around each cake’s edge, turn them out onto a wire rack, and cool completely.
- Level and Glaze Cakes: If the cakes have domed or risen into peaks, trim the tops flat with a serrated knife. Warm the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water until melted, then brush this glaze over the tops of the cooled cakes to add moisture and sweetness.
- Shape and Apply Marzipan: Lightly knead the marzipan and divide it into eight golf ball-sized pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a flat circle approximately 1cm thick and the same diameter as the cakes. Place these marzipan discs atop the jam-glazed cakes. Brush a little cooled boiled water onto the marzipan to help the icing adhere in the next step.
- Roll and Apply Icing: Similarly, roll out the white ready-to-roll icing to match the cakes’ diameter and thickness and gently place it over the marzipan layer, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Create Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary: Beat the egg white lightly until just frothy. Spread caster sugar evenly on a plate. Dip cranberries and rosemary fronds into the egg white, allowing excess to drip off, then roll them in the caster sugar to create a frosted appearance. Set them aside to dry for about 15 minutes.
- Prepare Icing Paste and Decorate: Reserve 2 teaspoons of the egg white, discarding the rest. Combine this egg white with the icing sugar to form a thick paste. Use this paste as glue to fix two sugared cranberries and a small rosemary sprig onto the top of each cake, creating a festive decoration.
- Final Touch: Finish each cake by tying a gold ribbon around it for an elegant holiday presentation. Store the cakes in an airtight container; they will keep fresh for up to one week.
Notes
- Use a serrated knife to gently trim cake tops without crumbling.
- Warm the apricot jam gently; overheating can make it too runny.
- Marzipan and icing should be rolled to the same diameter as the cakes for a neat finish.
- Allow sugared cranberries and rosemary to dry fully before decorating to prevent sliding.
- Gold ribbon adds a decorative finish but is not edible.
- These cakes are best served at room temperature to enhance flavors.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Christmas cake, fruit cake, marzipan cake, festive dessert, holiday baking, sugared cranberries, individual cakes
