Instead I got creative in the kitchen and came up with this mincemeat cake.Despite it's name mincemeat contains no meat (although it used to) but is a delicious combination of dried fruits, spices, sugar, suet, apples and brandy. It's most common use is the traditional Christmas mince pie, but it also makes delicious crumbles and cakes.
As we're approaching Christmas a mincemeat cake seemed appropriate, I also had all the ingredients on hand which meant no getting wet going to the shops! I used dark muscovado sugar for this recipe as the flavour is fantastic but any brown sugar will work.
Ingredients:3oz/75g Butter
3oz/75g Muscovado or other brown sugar
2 Eggs
4oz/100g Self raising flour
4oz/100g Mincemeat
4oz/100g Sultanas, raisins or other dried fruit
Sugar crystals to sprinkle on top (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to gas 4/180c/350f and grease an 8 inch circular cake tin.
In a large bowl cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
Next beat in the eggs.
Fold in the flour until well mixed.
Add the mincemeat and dried fruit to the mixture and gently mix.
Pour the mixture into the greased tin, sprinkle with sugar crystals (if using) and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
