Snowmen fruit cakes recipe by Juliet Sear,
Transform a standard square fruitcake into jolly snowmen with this easy to follow recipe.
Cooking Time (for cake): 2 hours
Decorating Time:
30 minutes - 1 hour
Makes: 10
Ingredients:
For the fruit mix:
150g of natural colour Glace cherries, washed and halved
120g of sultanas
180g of raisins
180g currants
50g mixed peel
100g molasses sugar
90g plain flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of mixed spice
100g salted butter
2 medium eggs, beaten
100ml brandy, (plus more to feed)
For the snowmen cakes:
1kg white ready to roll icing
454g marzipan
Apricot jam, to stick
White decorating icing (such as Dr Oetker designer icing)
Black gel food colour
120g of sultanas
Dr Oetker Silver Shimmer Spray
Icing sugar
Water, to stick
Coloured ready to roll icing, to make the scarves and hats
Instructions:
1. For the rich fruit mix preheat oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1 and grease and line a 6 inch square tin with baking parchment. Melt the butter and sugar together on a gentle heat until combined then leave to cool
2. Place the fruit and peel in a large bowl and mix together. Stir in the melted butter and sugar then add the beaten eggs, vanilla extract and brandy. Stir to make a wet mix.
3. Using a spoon, mix the spices into the flour, then tip the flour into the wet mix and stir together until combined.
4. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour then turn the heat down to 125°C/250°F and bake for a further 50 mins. Pierce cake with a knife and it will come out clean if cooked. Pop back in the oven for a further 10 mins if needed. Once baked, take out of the oven and skewer holes through the cake. Pour over another 60ml of brandy to soak into the cake. Leave to cool in the tin.
5. Once cooled, remove the cake from the tin, wrap in baking parchment and foil, and store for at least a week before using. It will keep for up to six months.
6. To make the snowmen cakes balls, roughly break up the fruitcake. Take approx. 80g for the large balls, and squeeze together to compact into a chunk. Then roll between your palms to make circular balls. For the smaller balls take approx. 35g of fruitcake and do the same. Place all balls on a cake board and place in the freezer to firm up.
7. Melt a little apricot jam and use a pastry brush to brush it over the balls to make them sticky.
8. Roll out the marzipan to a thickness of no more than 5mm. Cut into pieces large enough to completely cover the large cake balls. Lay a marzipan piece over the top of each ball and press around the sides then roll the ball in your palms until smooth. Repeat with the rest of the balls. Leave to dry overnight.
9. When ready to cover in icing, brush the balls with a little brandy or cooled boiled water. Repeat step 8 using the White Regal-Ice. Leave to dry overnight or for a few hours before commencing any decorating.
10. To decorate the snowmen cakes take some white designer icing and squeeze a little on top of each large ball to aid the head sticking. Now place the small balls on top of the large one.
11. Dust your surface with icing sugar then roll out red and green regal ice to make two long strips. Use a sharp knife to cut a thin piece of regal ice, about 12cms in length and 1.5 cm width to make the scarf. Using a little white designer icing, squeeze some around the neck area and down onto the body, so you can wrap the scarves around the snowmen.
12. For the hats, roll out half of the black regal icing to 5mm thick. Use a small round cutter about 4cms to create the rim of the hat. Attach to the head with a dab of designer icing or honey. Roll out the rest of the black regal ice into a sausage 2cm thick and cut into chunks 2cms high. Using your fingers, narrow off the bottom and shape into a hat shape. Stick to the hat rim by using a dab of designer icing or honey.
13. For the eyes, mouth and buttons pipe little blobs of Black Gel colour or use a paintbrush. You can also use this to paint on the arms.
14. Finally make the carrot by mixing a small amount of the red and yellow regal ice together to make orange. Shape small cones with your fingers and attach in between the eyes and mouth by dabbing a tiny bit of white designer icing. For the final frosty finish, spray the silver shimmer spray across the snowman.
Recipe courtesy of Dr Oetker.
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