Jessica Ransom
Our freezer-friendly mince pie cupcakes take 25 minutes to bake and have an indulgent brandy cream filling.
This cupcake recipe is for adults-only thanks to the boozy cream filling. However, much like any mince pie recipe, the booze is optional and can be leftover if you want to make the cupcakes family-friendly. These cakes are great instead of or alongside the traditional Christmas bake.
Ingredients
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2tsp mixed spice
- 175g butter, at room temperature
- 175g soft light brown muscovado sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 100ml buttermilk
- 150g mincemeat
For the topping:
- 150g mincemeat
- 300ml double cream
- 1 tbsp brandy
- Icing sugar, for dusting
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Line a muffin tin or tins with 18 paper cases.
- Sift the flour and mixed spice together in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for 3–5 minutes until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing all the time. The mixture might look split at this stage, but don’t worry, that’s normal.
- Fold in a third of the flour and beat well. Add half of the buttermilk and beat well. Fold in another third of the flour and beat well. Add the remaining buttermilk and finally the last third of the flour mixture, beating well between each addition.
- Place a dessertspoon of the cake mix into each paper case. Spoon a rounded teaspoon of mincemeat over the mixture and cover with another dessertspoon of the cake mix. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For the topping, spoon the mincemeat into a small, heavy based pan and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over a low heat for 3 minutes until the suet is cooked out. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Whip the cream and brandy together to soft peaks. Gently fold in the cooled mincemeat.
- To decorate, cut the tops off the cakes, like you would to make butterfly cakes. Using a star shaped cutter, cut a star out of each cake top. Spoon the mincemeat cream onto each cake and top with the cut out star. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
Top tips for making mince pie cupcakes
To make the cupcakes look even more impressive, take care when choosing your cupcake cases. We like these shiny aluminium ones but you might also find festive decorated cases when baking in November or December.
How to freeze mince pie cupcakes?
Once the mince pie cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool then wrap tightly in clingfilm and freeze. To eat them, allow the cakes to defrost fully, then follow the decorating instructions. If you find the star decoration a little fiddly, skip this step and simply top the cakes with a swirl of cream and a dusting of icing sugar or cocoa powder.
Is mincemeat vegetarian?
Most store-bought mincemeat jars are suitable for vegetarians because many now use a vegetable based suet instead of traditional suet which is derived from beef or lamb fat. When you buy your mincemeat, check the ingredients.
Additional flavour ideas for mince pie cupcakes
If you would like to inject even more festive flavour into these mince pie cupcakes, food writer Jessica Ransom has the following suggestions. She says: ‘Try adding some orange zest to the cupcake batter and consider adding a pinch of cinnamon alongside the mixed spice. You could also use ground ginger if you like.'
Jessica adds: 'I always prefer mince pies with a nutty pastry so to replicate those flavours, I would swap 50g of the flour for ground almonds and decorate the cakes with a scattering of toasted almond flakes too.’
This recipe requires a couple of bowls and a sieve. If you’re often put off baking because you don’t have space for the equipment, consider investing in this space-saving set from Joseph Joseph.
If this recipe has left you feeling inspired and craving the real thing, you need to make our best mince pies. You might also like these puff pastry mince pies or for something lighter but still crunchy, our Filo pastry mince pies are perfect.
