Mini christmas cakes Recipe Inspired by Delia Smith
I have admired Delia Smith’s calm, practical way with festive food for years, so I was eager to cook these mini christmas cakes for myself. They really do deliver the character of a fruit cake without turning on the oven: eight neat little squares, each dressed with overlapping marzipan and icing stars. Every bite is dense and pleasantly chewy from the dried fruit, with gentle heat from glacé ginger and mixed spice. Orange zest lifts the sweetness, while the thin almond-marzipan and white-icing layers make the top soft, sweet, and unmistakably celebratory. The most useful lesson from making them was to judge the mixture before adding the orange juice. Finely process the fruit first, then squeeze a little between your fingers; add the juice only if it refuses to hold. That keeps the cakes compact rather than wet, and makes sharp 4 cm squares much easier to form. I like these as small after-dinner sweets or as part of a Christmas tea table. The crossed stars leave both coverings visible, and seven silver balls on each cake give a tidy finish. Because the cakes wait in an airtight box until needed, all the decorating can be done before guests arrive.
Foodmitrecipe
Per 1 mini cake (about 55 g)
Nutrition for Mini christmas cakes
- Saturated fat
- 0.2 g
- Fiber
- 1.9 g
- Sugars
- 35 g
- Sodium
- 10 mg
Estimated values. Nutrition values are approximate. More precise calculations will be added in a future update.
How to make Mini christmas cakes
Fruit cake mixture
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Step 1
Finely process the mixture
Put the dried fruit mix, ground almonds, finely chopped glacé ginger, orange zest, and mixed spice in a food processor. Process until everything is finely chopped and the mixture begins to gather into small, moist clumps.
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Step 2
Check the consistency
Squeeze a little mixture in your hand. If it holds together, leave the orange juice out; if it still feels dry and crumbly, add the 2 teaspoons of fresh orange juice and process briefly until it binds.
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Step 3
Form eight square cakes
Divide the mixture evenly into 8 portions. Press and shape each portion by hand into a compact square about 4 cm (1½ inches) across, straightening the sides so each little cake can support its decorations.
Marzipan and icing decoration
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Step 4
Cut the marzipan stars
Dust the work surface lightly with icing sugar. Roll the marzipan into a 16 x 7.5 cm (6½ x 3 inch) rectangle, then use a 4 cm (1½ inch) star cutter to cut 8 stars. Drape one over every fruit square.
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Step 5
Layer the icing stars
Roll the ready-to-roll icing to the same 16 x 7.5 cm (6½ x 3 inch) size and cut another 8 stars with the same cutter. Set one on each cake with its points facing between the marzipan points, so the two stars remain visible.
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Step 6
Add the silver finish
Decorate every icing star with 7 silver balls, using all 56. Once the tops are complete, place the cakes in an airtight box and keep them there until they are needed.
Count the silver balls into 8 groups of 7 before decorating; every cake will match, and the icing will not sit uncovered while you stop to recount.
Mini christmas cakes, ready to serve
Serving ideas for Mini christmas cakes
Choose a presentation that fits the occasion, from relaxed sharing to individual plates.
Christmas tea tray
Arrange the cakes in a loose ring on a plain white cake stand or low platter so the alternating marzipan and icing points are easy to see. Set out small napkins and serve one cake per guest with unsweetened black tea or coffee, which gives a welcome contrast to the rich fruit and sweet topping. This presentation suits an afternoon Christmas gathering and lets the silver balls catch the light without adding any extra garnish.
After-dinner petits fours
Place one cake in the centre of each small dessert plate, turning the top star to sit squarely toward the guest. Keep the plate otherwise uncluttered and offer coffee alongside; the compact portion and concentrated dried-fruit flavour work well as a final sweet bite after dinner. For a larger table, line the cakes evenly on a silver or white serving tray and pass them around once plates have been cleared.
Festive gift box
Present the cakes in a shallow food-safe box lined neatly with baking parchment, keeping them in a single layer so the star points and silver balls stay intact. Use small paper cases or narrow parchment dividers if the box is roomy, then close it securely to maintain the airtight storage called for in the recipe. The uniform squares make a thoughtful homemade Christmas gift that looks polished without changing the cakes themselves.
Let’s cook Mini christmas cakes together
Check off your ingredients, follow each step, and start the timers when you are ready.
Get everything ready
Fruit cake mixture
Marzipan and icing decoration
Step-by-step with timers
Fruit cake mixture
Finely process the mixture
Put the dried fruit mix, ground almonds, finely chopped glacé ginger, orange zest, and mixed spice in a food processor. Process until everything is finely chopped and the mixture begins to gather into small, moist clumps.
Check the consistency
Squeeze a little mixture in your hand. If it holds together, leave the orange juice out; if it still feels dry and crumbly, add the 2 teaspoons of fresh orange juice and process briefly until it binds.
Form eight square cakes
Divide the mixture evenly into 8 portions. Press and shape each portion by hand into a compact square about 4 cm (1½ inches) across, straightening the sides so each little cake can support its decorations.
Marzipan and icing decoration
Cut the marzipan stars
Dust the work surface lightly with icing sugar. Roll the marzipan into a 16 x 7.5 cm (6½ x 3 inch) rectangle, then use a 4 cm (1½ inch) star cutter to cut 8 stars. Drape one over every fruit square.
Layer the icing stars
Roll the ready-to-roll icing to the same 16 x 7.5 cm (6½ x 3 inch) size and cut another 8 stars with the same cutter. Set one on each cake with its points facing between the marzipan points, so the two stars remain visible.
Add the silver finish
Decorate every icing star with 7 silver balls, using all 56. Once the tops are complete, place the cakes in an airtight box and keep them there until they are needed.
Mini christmas cakes Video Recipe Inspired by Delia Smith
The story behind Mini christmas cakes
Recipe notes by Emily
A festive shortcut I wanted to try
I have always liked the assurance of Delia Smith’s recipes: the instructions tend to focus on the small decision that actually changes the result. I made this one because the promise of full Christmas-cake flavour without baking sounded ideal for a busy December afternoon. Once the processor had turned the fruit, almonds, ginger, zest, and spice into a cohesive mixture, I understood the appeal. The work was quiet and manageable, and the little squares looked far more considered than the effort suggested. I followed her method in my own kitchen, and what won me over was how completely the simple idea worked.
Getting the texture right
The point I paid closest attention to was the optional orange juice. After processing, I pressed a spoonful in my palm; it held together, so I knew the fruit had provided enough stickiness and I did not pour in liquid by habit. If yours remains crumbly, the full 2 teaspoons are there for that purpose. Dividing the mixture into 8 portions before shaping also mattered. I compressed each portion first, then squared the sides and checked against the 4 cm size, which gave me compact cakes with enough strength to carry both decorative stars.
The stars make the cakes
Decorating was the moment these stopped looking like simple fruit squares and became Christmas cakes. I rolled the marzipan to the stated 16 x 7.5 cm rectangle and cut all 8 of the 4 cm stars, then repeated the job with the icing. Turning the white star so its points sat between the marzipan points created the layered effect I had admired in the photograph. Seven silver balls per cake sounds precise, but it gives every piece the same bright finish and uses the supplied 56 exactly. I placed the completed cakes in an airtight box, as directed, so they were ready when I wanted to serve them.