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These Mince Pie Bakewell Squares are a festive twist on a bakewell tart, and are made in a traybake style for ease. They have a sweet shortcrust pastry base, a filling of fruity mincemeat and a frangipane inspired almond cake topping. They are great for Christmas bake sales or parties as they are so easy to portion up for a hungry crowd!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your cake ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking the cake. The butter for the pastry should be cold.
- For the pastry, you can either cut the butter or baking spread into chunks, or if you are using block butter you can grate it into the flour using a cheese grater.
- You can use either baking spread or butter for both the pastry and cake layers. I prefer butter for the pastry and baking spread for the cake.
- If you can't get hold of golden caster sugar, regular caster sugar will work well too.
- I like to use a good quality mincemeat for the filling (and preferably one with some added booze - it is Christmas after all!) or of course you can use homemade mincemeat.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Mince Pie Bakewell Squares
To make the pastry, rub butter into plain flour and caster sugar. Add cold water (or milk) and bring the mixture together to form a dough. Tip it into a lined baking tray and spread it out in an even layer, then prick it with a fork. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then bake it for 20 minutes.
To make the sponge, mix the butter and golden caster sugar together. Then whisk in eggs and almond extract. Finally fold in ground almonds, baking powder and self raising flour. Spread the mincemeat over the baked pastry.
Gently spread the cake batter over the top and spread it out. Sprinkle over some flaked almonds. Bake it for 35 minutes until it is a lovely golden brown. When it is fully cool, mix icing sugar with water and pipe it over the sponge in a zig zag pattern, then cut into squares.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How long do the Mince Pie Bakewell Squares last for and can you freeze them?
They will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. To freeze the squares, wrap the cake well in cling film or put it in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Can you make this recipe with plain/all purpose flour?
Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add an additional 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
What size tin do you need for this recipe?
This recipe is best made in a 12" x 9" (36.5cm x 26cm) traybake tin with deep sides (4cm or 1.5"). However, if you'd prefer to make it in a smaller 9" square tin, check the recipe card notes section for details on how to change the measurements and baking time.
How many people does this recipe serve?
It completely depends how you slice it up, which is great because it makes this such a versatile cake for parties and gatherings. I love a big chunk of cake so I cut it into 12 slices, but for a party you may prefer to cut it into smaller slices so it feeds more people. You can cut into 16 slices, or even 24 slices.
Can this recipe be made with shop bought pastry?
Yes, if you prefer you can use shop bought shortcrust pastry. Roll it out and trim it to size, then bake as per the recipe instructions.
Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?
Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend, and the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additonal baking powder for the cake sponge. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for both the cake and pastry. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cupcakes if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Can this recipe be made into cupcakes or a larger cake?
Check out my Mince Pie Cupcakes recipe for an mince pie inspired cupcake. Or for a larger cake you might like my Mince Pie Cake.
More tips for making the Mince Pie Bakewell Squares:
- The icing on top is optional, but it does make the squares look extra special!
- For an extra festive twist, add some orange zest to the cake batter.
- Make sure to check the label if you buy shop bought mincemeat. Most varieties are vegetarian nowadays, and contain vegetarian suet. However suet is traditionally made from animal fat so always check the label if you are serving this bake to vegetarians.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More mince pie recipes...
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- Mince Pie Cupcakes with Brandy Buttercream
- Mince Pie Cake
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- Mince Pies
Mince Pie Bakewell Squares
An easy alternative to mince pies! Pastry base, fruity mincemeat layer, almond sponge, icing drizzle
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: Dessert
Prep Time: 50 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Author: thebakingexplorer
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 150 g Butter cold
- 300 g Plain flour
- 35 g Caster sugar
- 3 tbsp Cold water or milk
For the sponge
- 250 g Baking spread softened
- 250 g Golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar
- 4 Eggs large
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- 125 g Self raising flour
- 125 g Ground almonds
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 400 g jar of Mincemeat
- 50 g Flaked almonds
For the icing
- 2 heaped tbsp Icing sugar
- Water to make a thick paste
Metric - US Customary
Instructions
Grease and line a 12" x 9" traybake tin
Start by making the pastry. Rub the butter into the plain flour and caster sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can use your fingers or a food processor to do this. Add the cold water (or milk) and bring the mixture together to form a dough
Tip the dough into the tin and spread it out into an even layer, pressing it down with your fingers until compact and even. Prick it all over with a fork. Chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
Bake the pastry for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges, take it out and set aside. Leave your oven on
Make the sponge by mixing the butter and the golden caster sugar together, ideally using an electric mixer for 3 minutes
Mix in the eggs and almond extract
Gently whisk or fold in the ground almonds, baking powder and self raising flour
Spoon the mincemeat over the pastry base and spread it out
Gently spoon the cake batter over the top and spread it out into an even layer. Sprinkle over the toasted flaked almonds
Bake for 35 minutes or until it is a lovely golden brown all over, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin
When fully cool, mix the icing sugar with water and pipe it over the sponge in a zig zag pattern
Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!
Video
Notes
- Make sure all your cake ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking the cake. The butter for the pastry should be cold.
- For the pastry, you can either cut the butter or baking spread into chunks, or if you are using block butter you can grate it into the flour using a cheese grater.
- You can use either baking spread or butter for both the pastry and cake layers. I prefer butter for the pastry and baking spread for the cake.
- If you can't get hold of golden caster sugar, regular caster sugar will work well too.
- I like to use a good quality mincemeat for the filling (and preferably one with some added booze - it is Christmas after all!) or of course you can use homemade mincemeat.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
To make this recipe in a 9" square tin you will need:
For the pastry: 113g butter, 225g plain flour, 26g caster sugar, 2 ½ tbsp water
For the sponge: 187g butter, 187g golden caster sugar, 3 eggs, ¾ tsp almond extract, 94g self raising flour, 94g ground almonds, ½ tsp baking powder, 300g mincemeat, 38g flaked almonds
Nutrition
Calories: 642kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 912IU | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg
