Scrooge's Christmas 3 ingredient mini Christmas cakes

I was minding my own business, scrolling through my facebook feed, as you do, and this recipe for christmas fruit cakes caught my lazy eye.  It is 3 ingredients......3? No eggs, no butter, and could be made with gluten free flour.  It was from the ladies of the 4 ingredients fame.  I read closer, the ingredients are only mixed fruit, fruit juice and flour.  I rang my nan and asked her what she thought.  Very, very dubious let me tell you.  I asked a good friend who is a baker, her opinion was they might be dry. I had to make them....I'm praying to a baby in a manger that they work as it would be life changing.  It could be just the thing to add to my other homemade Christmas gifts. 

Mini christmas fruit cake
made 22 mini muffins 

• 1 kg of mixed fruit
• 3 cups of fruit juice, your choice, I'm using orange juice
• 3 cups of self raising flour

1. Soak the dried fruit in the juice overnight.  (this makes the fruit plump and juicy).  

2. Prehead oven to 125c.  
3. Stir flour into soaked fruit and mix well.  Make sure to incorporate all the flour down the bottom of the bowl.

4. Spoon mixture into 12 patty cake liners, I like to use an icecream scoop for consistency.  Bake in a muffin tray for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the bottom of your oven or until cooked through.  To test you can insert a skewer, if it comes out clean its ready.  It will depend on your oven and how big you make the cakes so keep an eye on them.  I did turn the oven up to 180c for the last few minutes just to brown them up as they were a bit light for my liking. Remember low and slow is the go!

5.  Remove from the oven and let cool out of the muffin tin on a wire rack.  Once cooled completely, you can wrap them up how you like and give to friends or place in an air tight container for up to 3-4 weeks.

I really am impressed with these mini cakes, but they are a little stodgy but nothing an extra heating and some vanilla bean custard wouldn't remedy.  Maybe I shouldn't be sharing how cheap and easy they are seeing as many of my friends that will receive them will be reading this post, but its the thought that counts.  The original recipe said this quantity of ingredients made 8-10 muffins, they must have been enormous! I made 22 using the icecream scoop size which is more than enough for a serve.  Further reading showed people using chocolate milk, rum & coke, and an array of mixed juices as the original juice component.  They are fairly moist and so easy, I'm wondering if I'll bother with shortbread this year!!  But of course I will......

Ciao, Jan