Mini Christmas-flavoured cakes with brandy & ginger icing

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 250g good-quality shop-bought mincemeat 
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 225g self-raising flour
• 25g cornflour

For the brandy & ginger icing

• 175g icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
• Stem ginger sliced into sticks to garnish
• Glacé cherries to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°/160° fan-assisted/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a muffin tin and line the bottom with some baking parchment circles. Using an electric hand whisk, cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs, one by one. Fold in the mincemeat and stir until well incorporated. Sift the flour and cornflour into the bowl and carefully fold together with a large metal spoon or spatula – don’t over mix.
2. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins, filing each two-thirds full. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden. The cakes will appear moist, even when cooked. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then put on a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Heat the brandy with the ginger syrup until hot and stir into the icing sugar to make a smooth, thick icing. Spoon the icing onto the top of the cakes, letting it slowly drizzle down the sides. Garnish each cake with a glacé cherry and stem ginger slices.