I just wanted to post a very quick recipe just to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and to thank you all for following my blog and for all the lovely feedback that I have received during the year. 2014 has seen a few downs and a few ups and I am sure that 2015 will be no different, but one thing I do know for sure it that Gelsomina’s Cucina will be cooking and baking from a new kitchen, as we are moving at the end of January. I am so excited about the move, we are finally downsizing due to health reasons, more of my fledglings leaving the nest and to allow more time for my new venture ‘Diana’s House’ and generally more time to do the things we love and spend more time with the people that we love, so all in all a very exciting start to the New Year for us all.
Soppy thoughts over, your not really here to read my ramblings, but to see another fabulous and very seasonal recipe that you can wow your friends and family with and I have a really lovely treat for you today.
This cake is quick and easy, a great way to use up the last remnants of the half empty jar of mincemeat that will either be thrown away or left in the back of the fridge until next Christmas, its great if you are so fed up with mince pies and really can not face another one and fab to have just incase of unexpected visitors, this with a nice cup of tea, hot chocolate or a cheeky mulled wine will be a great warm welcome to your home.
This cake served warm with a really good quality ice cream would also make a great dessert and is less rich than a traditional Christmas pudding, you can add any booze that you like, keep it simple with just a sprinkle of icing sugar for a lovely snow effect, or as the original recipe said make them as cupcakes with a brandy butter icing. I decided to bake mine in a bundt tin with a simple water icing, but again you can play around with this and flavour the icing with a little rum or freshly squeezed orange juice would be nice.
Anyway, I hope you all have a really lovely Christmas, have fun baking and I will be back in 2015.
Buon Natale
115 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
225 g light brown sugar
3 eggs
375 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 ml milk
120 ml vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp brandy, optional
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 g mincemeat
For the brandy butter icing :
250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
500 g icing sugar
2 tbsp brandy
Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 5 and line a twelve-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Whisk the butter and sugar together in a mixer, or using an electric whisk, until pale and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ½ teaspoon of salt together and set to one side. Separately, mix together the milk, oil and brandy and also set to one side.
Add one third of the flour mixture into the batter and mix well, followed by one third of the milk/oil mixture. Repeat until all the flour mixture and milk/oil mixture has been incorporated. Stir in the mincemeat.
Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the paper cases until they are two-thirds full with cake batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Take out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the brandy butter icing:
In a clean bowl, whisk the butter until it is pale and creamy and then slowly add in the icing sugar until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add the brandy and mix in well.
Top each cupcake with a generous amount of brandy buttercream and decorate with Christmas figures or sprinkles.
Note:- If using a bundt tin or something similar just cook a little longer and just keep an eye on it and for a simple water icing all you need is icing sugar and water or orange juice, mix to a lump free smooth paste that isn’t too runny but will run down the cake without sliding off completely.
Comments (0)