2-Ingredient Mincemeat Christmas Cake (Easy Fruit Cake)

This 2 ingredient Christmas cake turns jars of mincemeat and self raising flour into a sweet, warmly spiced and tangy festive bake with a moist texture. With just 5 minutes of prep, it's an easy way to bring Christmas flavour to the table.

It's also naturally vegan when made with vegan-friendly mincemeat, as many supermarket varieties are!

If you enjoy my 3-ingredient Baileys Christmas cake, here's another simple option I recently developed. This version only uses 2 ingredients, which are ready-made mincemeat instead of fruit soaked in Baileys.

I've made this cake with both jarred and homemade mincemeat. The homemade version had noticeably more fruit visible when I cut into it. With the jarred version, the fruit, sweetness and spice are already in the mixture, so there's no fruit to soak overnight.

And it's so handy for festive get-togethers or a slice with an afternoon cuppa. Allow 2 hours 30 minutes for baking, plus cooling time: the preparation is quick, and it tastes equally amazing as a traditional Christmas cake.

✔️ Why You'll Love This Two-Ingredient Cake

• Two ingredients: a store cupboard shortcut using jarred mincemeat that creates a delicious moist cake - no cake mixes required!
• Easy prep: one bowl, a spoon and no electric mixer
• No overnight soaking: you can mix and bake this Christmas cake on the same day, and it doesn't take a lot of time.
• Perfect last minute Christmas cake: Great to make as an emergency for holiday parties

🛒 The Two Ingredients You'll Need

Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.

Christmas mincemeat: I used 4 jars of Tesco Finest mincemeat with ruby port and brandy for the jarred version. You'll need around 1,600g in total of sweet mince pie filling. Jar sizes vary, so check the weight rather than relying on the number of jars.

Self raising flour: Provides structure and raising agents. Or use the same weight in plain flour and 4½ level teaspoons baking powder (around 18g).

Using homemade mincemeat? My homemade Christmas mincemeat made a cake with more fruit visible through the slices. Add 140ml orange juice to loosen the thicker mixture, as noted in the recipe card. That version has three ingredients; the jarred version needs just two.

📋 How to Make 2 Ingredient Christmas Cake

Here's how to make this simple mincemeat Christmas cake. Follow the recipe card below for the full method. No recipe video required... it's that memorable!

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C fan / 170°C conventional / gas mark 3. Spoon the mincemeat into a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir in the self raising flour until combined. Add the orange juice at this stage only if using the homemade mincemeat option.

3. Line a deep 20-22cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Spoon in the mixture and smooth the top of the cake.

4. Cover with baking paper with a small vent cut in the centre, as described in the recipe card.

Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes, then test the centre with a skewer. If needed, bake for another 5 minutes and check again. Cool completely in the tin.

Tip: Keep the paper cover in place during baking to help protect the top while the centre cooks.

👩‍🍳 Choosing Your Mincemeat

The Tesco Finest mincemeat I used contains ruby port and brandy. If you need an alcohol-free version, choose a mincemeat without added alcohol.

For a vegetarian or vegan cake, check for vegetable rather than beef suet. Check the full ingredients and allergen label, as recipes vary between brands.

⚖️ Variations

Keep the cake plain for the two-ingredient version, or add a dusting of icing sugar once cool. For a decorated centrepiece, try marzipan and icing; my guide to icing a Christmas cake explains how. These finishes are optional extras.

🔪 Equipment

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• A deep 20-22cm springform cake tin and baking paper
• A large mixing bowl and wooden spoon
• Weighing scales and a skewer for checking the centre

❄️ Storing and Freezing Your Cake

Storing:

Allow the cake to cool completely before wrapping well and placing in an airtight container in the fridge. As this is a newly developed recipe, I haven't yet tested its keeping qualities, so I'd recommend eating it within 5 days.

Feeding with brandy: Normally, we'd feed a traditional Christmas cake weekly with brandy to help it mature. However, I haven't yet tested this method with this particular recipe.

Freezing: For longer storage, wrap individual undecorated slices well and place in a freezer-safe container. Thaw fully before serving. Treat this as an everyday fruit cake rather than one to mature for months.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Serve a slice with tea or coffee, or add custard for a cosy Christmas dessert.

Small wedges also work well on a festive buffet. If you're baking for the next day, cool and wrap the cake before storing.

❓ FAQ

➕ Related Recipes

For a different style of fruit cake, try my mincemeat cake with brandy, eggs and treacle. That recipe starts by boiling the mincemeat; this two-ingredient version is simply stirred together. Or try these other festive bakes:

• Mincemeat dump cake for another easy festive bake, using boxed cake mix
• Apple and mincemeat crumble for a warming pudding
• Puff pastry mince pie pinwheels for Christmas snacking

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