Preheat oven to 175C/350F/Gas 4. Butter and flour the individual tins. I used mini, straight-sided, sponge tins available from Lakeland. But a muffin 12-hole tray will also work.
Ingredients
Makes 12
- 175g unsalted butter
- 175g caster sugar
- 225g plain flour
- 40g ground almonds
- I tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 175g sultanas
- 175g currants or raisins
- 60g glacé cherries, roughly chopped
- 60g mixed peel
- Grated zest of 2 lemons – use fine grater or microplane
- Juice from above lemons
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tbls whiskey
- 150g whole blanched or unblanched almonds – for decoration (see photo). You can use 1 – 4 to decorate top.
- ½ jar of apricot jam, warmed and sieved for glazing top of cakes.
Method
Using a stand-mixer, cream the butter and sugar until trebled in volume e.g. 4 minutes on medium speed. Whisk the eggs lightly to break them up, and add about ½ egg at each addition until fully incorporated. Mix thoroughly the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and mixed spice together with a whisk. Fold in on slow speed, and then add the dried fruit, the lemon zest. Finally add the lemon juice and the whiskey.
Spoon or pipe into the prepared tins to 2/3rds full. Smooth out surface with a teaspoon.
Bake on middle shelf of preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes, but not longer than 30 minutes.
Glaze with sieved apricot jam while still hot, and cool on wire rack. The glaze will set as the cakes cool.
Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
Excellent for afternoon tea, or could also be served as a dessert with crème anglaise
