Tag: holiday

Mincemeat Cake

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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.

Holiday Bake: Challah Bread

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Being that we have made the slow crawl into December this year when I was still firmly convinced it was march I decided to start baking some bread. It makes the house smell amazing and having fresh bread in the house gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling of accomplishment.

What is it?

Challah is a special bread in Jewish cuisine. It is normally braided and served on ceremonial occasions and Jewish holidays except Passover. You can add sesame seed, poppy seed or sometimes even raisins in your bread.

I used everything bagel seasoning on mine because I didn’t have anything else in my spice cupboard.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 packet instant yeast
  • 1/2 tbsp. salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 5 oz of water (tepid)
  • 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • everything bagel seasoning (poppy, sesame seeds are more traditional)

Directions (stand mixer)

  • Place the flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Place the sugar in the middle. The salt on one side and the yeast on the other. Mix the ingredients together using your fingers.
  • In another bowl mix together the oil and one egg and the egg yolk. Make a well in your flour and put in your egg mix and water.
  • Mix it with a fork until it becomes a shaggy dough. Transfer to your mixer with a dough hook knead for 5-10 minutes. (I normally take the dough out halfway through kneading and knead it with my hands. You can feel the texture of the dough change better when you knead it by hand.)
  • If you do take the dough out to knead by hand then put it back in the mixing bowl and cover. Let it rest for at least two hours so it can double in size.
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set it aside.
  • Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface and knock out all the air bubbles. Cut the dough into three equal pieces and roll them out into ropes of about 12in long. Pinch the ends of one side together and braid the dough together. Then pinch the ends together at the end of the braid. Tuck both ends under so you can’t see them. Place it on the baking tray.
  • Let it rise for another 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 390 degrees.
  • Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the top of your loaf. The more egg wash you put on the darker it will become. Then top it with your seeds.
  • Once your oven is heated bake it for 30-35 minutes. You are looking for a golden brown and a hallow sound when you tap the bottom.

Enjoy everyone!