How do you make mini fruit cakes

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Having tried it last year, all I can say is that I cooked mine too long and didn't feed them enough. Also, if I do it again, I'll choose the darkest, juiciest fruit (i.e. adding prunes instead of some sultanas). My main problem was that I dried the poor little buggers out.

Ooh, I want to know this too. It's the cooking time, isn't it? In Feast, Nigella gives a table of weights of dried fruit to size of cake, but I've never been able to decipher it. (I've made big cakes before, btw)

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I've made mini ones in ramekins before and they were lovely. Make up a batch of mix, and then just fill as many as you can. Top with a circle of greaseproof, low heat, and keep an eye on them and test with a hatpin for doneness

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My son has just made one at school in an empty small baked bean can, looking forward to seeing it.

For an 8" round, 3" high cake, 250g raisins, 250g Sultanas, 155g currants, 125g chopped dried apricots, 150g glace cherries, 60g cut mixed peel, 60g chopped mixed nuts, 10ml lemon rind, 30ml lemon juice, 45 ml brandy/sheery/whisky/orange juice (as pref), 280g plain flour, 15ml ground mixed spice, 60g ground almonds, 220g soft dark sugar, 220g butter, 22.5ml treacle, 4 eggs. For that size it would take 2 hrs 40min at 140'C, prob only an hour for little cakes.

Its done when a cocktail stick comes out of the cake clean and the cake is firm.

If you use baked bean tins, they need several layers of brown paper round the outside to stop the edge burning

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