What is it?

Mincemeat pie is a British dessert filled with raisins, currants, candied peel, apples and brown sugar. It is normally cooked together with suet. If you are unfamiliar suet is a hard animal fat either beef or lamb. I’m not certain where to get Suet in the states so I used vegetable shortening. The pie has an origin that dates back to the 1400’s when the pie actually had mincemeat in it. It was a way to preserve meat without having to go through the usually methods of drying and curing.

Today Mincemeat Pie doesn’t have meat in it anymore. It is a spiced fruit pie served during Christmas time. I didn’t want to make pastry so I didn’t end up making pie. I made a simple square cake that made my whole house smell like Christmas.

Ingredients

• 2 cups All purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin spice
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs beaten

Mincemeat Mixture

• 1 apple diced
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup candied mixed peel
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. pumpkin spice
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Directions

1. In a saucepan on medium heat place all your mincemeat mixture and cook until the apples have softened and the shortening and brown sugar melt together. Lower the heat and simmer while putting the rest of your batter together.
2. Preheat your own to 370 degrees.
3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, pumpkin spice.
4. Melt your butter in the microwave for a minute.
5. Put oil and butter into the dry ingredients.
6. In a small bowl beat the two eggs together and add to rest of your batter.
7. Add your warm mincemeat mixture and whisk until the batter is well combined.
8. Put batter in a 8×8 square cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife comes out clean.