Mincemeat Brunch Cake

My tradition of bringing cookies to work on Friday has been very popular. One of my coworkers said that she really looks forward to coming to work on Friday since she knows that there will be cookies to enjoy. She has continued the tradition and now brings something for us to share on Mondays. She usually brings a coffee cake or scones or something of that nature. Her items are usually less sweet that what I make. She knew that she would be busy over the weekend and asked if I wanted to bring something on Monday, and of course I said yes.

I had a couple of contenders for what I would make, but I ended up making this mincemeat coffee cake. Ok, I had never had mincemeat until I went to England to meet my husband’s family the Christmas before we got married. I was instantly in love. Most people kind of freak out over mincemeat, since they expect it to be some weird meat product. Modern mincemeat doesn’t contain any meat. It’s usually made with apples and other dried fruits, and it’s sweet and spicy. I use Crosse and Blackwell mincemeat, which I can usually find in the stores around Christmas. I typically make mincemeat pies, but it works well in other applications too.

I have made a mincemeat coffee cake before, and it was so good. I made it when we had visitors and they said it was the best coffee cake they had ever had. That recipe had called for applesauce and I had substituted mincemeat. It worked out so well, but unfortunately, I have no idea what recipe I used. I have no memory at all other than the fact that it called for applesauce. I have found a few recipes for applesauce coffee cake in my many cookbooks, but I haven’t found the one I had made. Oh well, this recipe was in my coffee cake cookbook and it sounded really good.

Maybe it’s a little early to make something with mincemeat, since I associate it with Christmas, but the flavors fit for fall. I made this while my husband made the Christmas pudding (which will rest in the refrigerator until Christmas), so it was fitting. The cake came together so quickly and it turned out perfectly. The original recipe called for a 10” x 15” pan, but I used a smaller 9” x 13” pan. I baked it the same amount of time, maybe an extra minute or two. I really love this coffee cake, but I love mincemeat. The mincemeat filling is sweet which is balanced by the cake. I just hope everyone at work will like it as much as I do.

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon orange zest
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups mincemeat

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan and set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar until completely mixed, add the vanilla and orange zest. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and then slowly add this to the butter mixture.

Spread 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the mincemeat on top of the batter. Drop the remaining batter by spoonfuls onto the mincemeat. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Combine the powdered sugar and orange juice to make a glaze. Drizzle over the warm cake and serve.

Recipe from Coffee Cakes: 105 Wonderful Recipes by Lauri Bonn