Stir Up Sunday Recipes:

Cakes, Puddings and Mincemeat with Tropical Fruits

Only two more days until Stir-Up Sunday……..a special day in the cook’s calendar when cakes and puddings are concocted, baked, steamed. I have written about this day many times over the years on Lavender and Lovage, and, you can read all about the traditions and customs here: 

Stir Up Sunday, Traditions and my Traditional Victorian Christmas Pudding Recipe

Stir Up Sunday: Quick and Easy Microwave Mincemeat Christmas Pudding Recipe

As well as the two pudding recipes I’ve shared above, there are lots of cake recipes to share at this time of year too……but before I share my more traditional cakes, I’d like to offer you a fabulous and fruity alternative for this year, a cake made with naturally dried tropical fruits, and one that is gluten-free too. My recipe for Gluten-free Tropical Christmas Cake was made with mango and pineapple from Urban Fruit, and is deliciously fruity with an amazing fruit and nut topping, instead of the usual marzipan and Royal icing. The recipe is posted over on the Great British Chef’s website, as part of their Stirring it up with Urban Fruit article, where they asked me and others to “create some exciting new Christmas Cake recipes with a difference”, which I was very happy to do.

The recipe for my Gluten-free Tropical Christmas Cake can be found on the Great British Chefs website by following the link in the recipe title and, as well as my cake, why not check out all of the other Urban Fruit creations that are there. There’s Bundt cakes, puddings and more, and all of them perfect for an alternative to the usual pud or cake. Urban Fruit is available to buy in Waitrose in front of store snacking area, at Tesco with the other whole foods, at Asda with fresh food + veg, on Ocado, the Co-Op with the other dried fruits, Whole Foods, Planet Organic and lots of lovely independent stores around the country.

To celebrate Stir-Up Sunday, Great British Chefs are holding a Twitter Party on the 23rd November, between 2pm – 4pm, and they would love you to get involved. Follow @UrbanFruit on Twitter, use the hashtag #StirUpSunday and show us what you’re cooking or ask any Christmas baking questions. Hopefully you will have all queries answered before you launch yourself into Stir-Up Sunday baking and cooking! But for now, I leave you with some of my other cakes that would all benefit from being made this Sunday, as well as some other Christmas recipes……have a wonderful weekend, Karen 

Christmas Cakes, Puddings and Other Festive Recipes:

Mini Snow Flake Christmas Cakes

Clementine and Brandy Fruit Pudding

Traditional Tea Time Dundee Cake

Wee Whisky Doused Hogmanay Dundee Cakes

Traditional British Mincemeat 

Fat-Free Apple and Almond Mincemeat with Brandy

Traditional Boozy Mincemeat (Fat Free)

Spiced Brandy Soused Clementines

DON’T forget the Great British Chefs Urban Fruit Twitter party this Stir-Up Sunday!

When the nation starts festive baking on Stir Up Sunday, we’ll be hosting a Twitter Party from 2pm – 4pm on 23rd November and would love you to get involved.  Follow @UrbanFruit on Twitter, use the hashtag#StirUpSunday and show us what you’re cooking or ask any Christmas baking questions.