Mincemeat & Almond Cake

Deliciously moist Mincemeat & Almond Cake which is perfect served as an afternoon treat or warm as a comforting dessert. How would you eat yours?

what is mincemeat?

If you’re not from the UK, you might not have heard of mincemeat. It is a sweet mixture of dried fruits, spices and spirits.

So where does the name come from? Well back in the 12th century mincemeat was made using meat as a way of preserving it. Over the years the meat has been swapped for the fruit.

So don’t panic, despite the name there is no meat in mincemeat anymore and it is really tasty!

A different way of using mincemeat

The most common use for mincemeat is to make Mince Pies. They are shortcrust pastry filled with mincemeat and are eaten at Christmas time.

Although I love eating them, I am not a fan of making them. I always get carried away and try to cram in too much mincemeat. This means they inevitably spill over and I am left with a sticky mess of mincemeat and pastry.

Because of this, I like to come up with alternative ways to bake with mincemeat that doesn’t involve a mince pie.

My alternative bakes using mincemeat so far are:

• Mincemeat Pinwheels
• Frangipane Mince Pie Slices
• Mincemeat Thumbprint Cookies

And this year saw the creation of this Mincemeat & Almond Cake.

which mincemeat is best to use?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with using shop bought mincemeat. This is what most people tend to do and it is convenient.

I would recommend trying to choose a good quality mincemeat. There are quite a few choices; the fruits and spirits use vary and some may even include nuts. Pick one that appeals to you.

You could also make your own mincemeat. This is on my list to do, but I haven’t got round to it yet.

This Easy Homemade Mincemeat is as the name suggests really simple to make. You can also make it in advance before the Christmas rush as it keeps for up to one year.

adding delicious almond flavour

I love mincemeat and almond together. The flavours work so well and it is just delicious!

There are ground almonds in the sponge mix as well as almond extract. The ground almonds not only add flavour to the sponge but keep the cake moist too.

The almond extract helps enhance the almond flavour further. If you don’t want to include this you don’t have to; but it is lovely!

Sliced almonds are then scattered over the top of the sponge. These add yet more almond flavour but also some texture too.

Is orange zest essential?

Adding orange zest to the cake adds an additional delicious flavour to the cake.

I like to add it to recipes with mincemeat because it really elevates the flavours that are already there.

Depending on the size of your orange, I would add the zest of between half and a whole orange.

If you really didn’t want to include it, you can leave it out.

As it is Christmas, you could add a teaspoon or two of Cointreau. This is an orange flavoured liqueur which would be lovely in this cake.

how to serve this mincemeat & Almond cake

This cake is delicious served as it is as an afternoon treat or for when guests pop over.

It is also great served as a dessert. You could warm it in the microwave for a few seconds and then serve it drizzled with double cream, homemade custard or even brandy butter.

It is Christmas after all so why not be a little indulgent!

An alternative Christmas cake

This Mincemeat & Almond Cake would be a great alternative to a traditional Christmas Cake. These are a rich fruit cake often decorated with marzipan and fondant icing or royal icing.

People either seem to make them religiously each year or not bother with them at all. They are a labour of love and need to be made in advance and fed with spirits over the weeks before Christmas.

This cake would be a great alternative because it is so simple to make and doesn’t need any extra decoration.

You could ice it with fondant or royal icing if you liked. But remember this is a sponge cake and isn’t as robust as a dense fruit cake. Once iced it would still only keep for up to four days.

How many people will this mincemeat cake serve?

If you’re anything like me you will want quite a large slice of this cake!

If you cut generous slices this Mincemeat & Almond Cake should feed ten to twelve people. But if you cut smaller pieces it will obviously feed more!

But who doesn’t want a nice big slice of cake?!

How long will this mincemeat cake last for?

The mincemeat and almonds in this cake help keep it moist. If you keep it in an airtight container this cake will keep for up to four days.

Other festive recipes you might like

• Brioche & Christmas Pudding Bread & Butter Pudding
• Mary Berry’s Christmas Chocolate Cupcakes
• Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars
• Cranberry & White Chocolate Cookies
• Nutella Pinwheels

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