Mincemeat cake

Mincemeat cake from The Cotswold Country Cookbook by the redoubtable Mollie Harris. Stumbling across this intriguing recipe caused us to question our intelligence and imagination. We never had thought of it but in retrospect the preparation is so obvious and appealing that it ought to be better known. It is, as Harris observes, “a nice rich cake, but not too rich;” not too sweet either. During the holidays it also “comes in very handy, especially for people who do not like Christmas cake. The cake has another appeal, especially for the uninitiated baker: It is easy to make and extremely forgiving.

• 1 lb mincemeat
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 oz soft unsalted butter
• zest of a lemon
• zest of an orange
• 8 oz flour
• 5 oz dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs

Preheat the oven to an eccentric 335°.

1. Beat everything together with a countertop KitchenAid or lesser electric beater.
2. Spoon the batter into an eight inch nonstick cakepan; a springform is ideal.
3. Bake the cake until the center springs back when just barely tapped, or just until a toothpick returns clean from the center, usually in about an hour.

Notes:

-If you lack a nonstick cakepan then you will need to line your pan with parchment or silicone paper.

-The original recipe specifies whole wheat flour but does offer the alternative of plain white flour, actually self-raising flour (omit the baking powder). Your choice.

-“Store in an airtight tin. This cake will keep for weeks.” (Harris 167)

-Yankee magazine posted a recipe for mincemeat upside down cake in 2016, but it is overcomplicated and appears contrived.