Festive Mincemeat Tart
Author:Crisp pie crust, rich mincemeat, delicate spice-infused sponge & brilliant white, sweet icing come together to create a taste & texture explosion. This Festive Mincemeat Tart is indulgent, rich & just perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
For the pastry (see recipe note)
- 2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
- ½ cup (100 grams) vegan butter or refined coconut oil , must be cold & hard
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- about 10 tablespoons ice cold water
OR
- 1 8 to 9-inch store-bought pie crust
For the filling
- 1½ cups (340 grams) vegan mincemeat
For the sponge
- 1⅓ cup (170 grams) all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
- ½ cup (100 grams) cane or white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (188 ml) dairy-free milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar , or white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) liquid oil , such as vegetable, sunflower, or canola
For the icing
- 1½ cup (187 grams) powdered sugar
- a few tablespoons of water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For decoration
- 2 tablespoons gently toasted flaked almonds
INSTRUCTIONS
For the pie crust
- Add the flour, vegan butter or cold coconut oil, and salt to a food processor and pulse until like coarse breadcrumbs.
- Slowly add enough water to bring it together into a smooth dough. Pulse between each addtion. I used 10 tablespoons but it will vary depending on your flour brand and the humidity. It should feel soft and pliable but not sticky.
- Line a 9-inch tart pan with the pastry. You can roll it out or if you are lazy like me, just plop the ball of pastry in the pan and flatten it out with your hands.
- Crimp or trim around the edges to tidy it up then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (do not skip the refrigeration).
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
- Remove the pie crust from the fridge. Cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to line it and lay it carefully over the pie crust. A trick to make this easier is to cut it to about the right size then literally screw it up into a ball in your hands. Then gently pull it back out flat before laying it over the pastry. Cover the parchment paper with baking beans/pie weights, regular dried beans, or dried rice to weigh down the paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes then gently lift out the beans and paper, and return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove and lower the heat to 350℉ (175℃).
- Leave the pie crust to cool then spoon in the mincemeat and spread it out evenly to cover the bottom.
For the sponge
- In a bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir to combine.
- Make a well in the center and gently pour into it the milk, vanilla extract, vinegar, and oil. Stir to combine being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the cake batter over the mincemeat layer and spread it out evenly making sure the mincemeat is sealed in well and there are no spaces around the crust edges for it to bubble through.
- Bake for around 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
For the icing
- Put the powdered sugar and vanilla into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Gradually add the water a tiny bit at a time and whisk until you have a smooth, easily drizzle-able icing. Be very careful when adding the water because you hardly need any (just a few tablespoons). Test it is the right consistency by lifting some icing up with the whisk. Let it drizzle back in and ribbons should form on the surface then disappear after a couple of seconds.
- Pour the icing over the sponge and spread out evenly with a pallet knife, spatula, or the back of a spoon. To stop the spreading from damaging the top layer of the cake, fill a mug or glass with cold water and dip the pallet knife/spatula in it every so often. give it a shake to remove any excess water then continue. It really helps it spread more easily.
- Sprinkle the almonds on as soon as you have finished spreading the icingg. It sets quite quickly.
NOTES
Store in an airtight container (or covered well) for up to 7 days. If you'll use it within a few days you can keep it at room temperature. Any longer and I recommend refrigerating it. Take it out to get to room temperature before serving.
When calculating the nutritional information, I could only find mincemeat with suet in it to use in the calculator. If you use vegan mincemeat with no suet then the calories and fat content will be less than it says here.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
