LekkerBek has the perfect solution: bake little cakes!
Individual LekkerBek ‘Festive Fruit Cake Muffins' Makes 12 About R5.50 per cake
Shopping List 12 Hole muffin pan
Cakes 500g Fruit Cake Mix 100g Chopped Pecan Nuts 60ml Brandy 125g Butter 125g (1/2 Cup) Soft Brown Sugar 2 XLarge Eggs 200g (1 & 2/3 Cups) Cake Flour 2.5ml (1/2t) Baking Powder 2.5ml (1/2t) Salt 5ml (1t) Cinnamon
Topping Sugared Cherries Blanched (Skinless) Almonds Apricot Jam
Mixing and Baking
Heat oven to 150 degrees C. Mix fruit and nuts, pour over brandy and let it stand overnight for a lekker soak. Next day: Using an electric beater, cream butter and sugar until light and creamy, add eggs one at a time and continue beating. Sift together your flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon - fold into butter mixture. Add your drunken fruit and nut mixture, and fold through. Spray your muffin pan with a non-stick spray. Divide the mixture evenly into the muffin pan and smooth the tops. Make them pretty- press cherries (red or green) and blanched almonds on top. Bake for about 45 minutes or until you stick in a sosatie stick, and it comes out dry. Heat a big dollop of apricot jam in your microwave, (covered or you will have a jam splashed microwave) and paint them as they come out of the oven. Loosen the sides, and remove from pan – leave to cool.
Don't polish them off in one go!
LekkerBek Tips • Instead of just fruitmix, add finely chopped SA glace fruit - just stick to the 500g • Always use non-stick muffin pans - unless you like to eat your cake out of the pan. • Coat your pan with bakers lard and dust with flour – it’s cheaper than spraying. • Wrap each fruitcake in aluminium foil to make them last much longer. • If you want to bake large quantities - go to Linda's Bake and Pack in Westdene for very affordable volume shopping (+27 11 482 2125).
For a fabulous choice of yummy homemade gourmet gifts, visit the Lekkerbek website by following the links alongside.