Makes 12
Ingredients
250g mixed dried fruit
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large unwaxed orange
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
175g caster sugar
175g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
3 eggs
75ml milk
To fill and decorate
300g marzipan (or 150g if decorating the cakes with chocolate eggs)
250g glacé icing (sift 250g icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp of hot water to start with and then a little at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth and glossy and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon)
Chocolate eggs (optional)
Equipment
12-hole muffin tray, holes about 6.5cm in diameter and 2cm deep, lined with paper muffin cases.
Small (5-6cm) rabbit, chick or flower biscuit cutters (if decorating with marzipan shapes)
1. Put the dried fruit into a bowl with the orange zest and juice. Leave in a warm place for an hour or so to allow the fruit to plump up.
2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Sift the flour, mixed spice and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and mix.
3. Add the butter, eggs and milk to the flour and spice mixture. Using a hand-held electric whisk, beat for 1½-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Fold in the fruit and any residual orange juice.
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4. Half fill the muffin cases with the mixture. Take 150g of the marzipan and divide it into 12 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc and place on top of the mixture in the muffin cases. Spoon the remaining mixture over the top of the marzipan.
5. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until the cakes are nicely golden and spring back into shape when lightly pressed. Leave in the tray for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool.
6. Roll out the remaining marzipan, if using, and cut it into shapes with the biscuit cutters. Have the glacé icing ready.
7. When the cakes are cold, top with the glacé icing. Place either a marzipan shape or 2-3 chocolate eggs on top of each one. These can be stored in a single layer in an airtight tin for up to a week.
Recipe taken from Cakes — River Cottage Handbook No 8 by Pam Corbin with introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on Monday, March 14 at £14.99. It is available for £13.49 at timesbooks.co.uk
Text © Pam Corbin 2011