Mixed spice is very popular here in England. It’s used mostly in baked goods, to give a sweetly spiced flavour with depth. However it’s pretty hard to find in North America, a bit like Pumpkin Pie Spice and Poultry Seasoning are hard to find here in England.
Mixed Spice is traditionally made up of a combination of ground allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, coriander (cilantro) and ginger. If you cannot find mixed spice ready made, you can make it yourself. Be sure to use dried, ground spices in all cases. I leave out the mace when I make mixed spice as I prefer it without.
2 tablespoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Mix the spices together and store in a clean, dry airtight container in a cool dry place.
If this all seems like too much trouble, or you don’t want a big jar of mixed spice hanging around, another combination that works is to just use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in place of mixed spice. Again, it doesn’t give exactly the same flavour, but it still works very well. In that case, for every two teaspoons of mixed spice called for, just use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ginger and a quarter teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and cloves.
My sister lost our mom’s recipe (she hailed from South Wales) and this looks closest to it I’ve found….having a hard time dealing with weights instead of cups….I would just use the proportions but since raisins weigh more than crumbs would this be a problem? Or, just use the proportions of flour crumbs and sugar then wing it on the fruit? Also, ours used molasses which she called treacle and I dont see why adding some would be a problem if the consistancy is ok. Your thoughts???
Hi Susan,
I’m not sure if you are talking about the Christmas cake or Christmas pudding here as you have commented on the mixed spice recipe. I will say I have only ever made both the recipes according to the weights, and it’s difficult to convert them to cups. I wouldn’t recommend winging it on anything as it might not work. Kitchen scales are fairly reasonable to purchase and I’d recommend you follow that route. I always make recipes that are measured in cups in cups, and for recipes that use weights, I use a scale.
If it is the Christmas pudding recipe you are talking about, if you go through the comments, one reader did add molasses (known as treacle in the UK and elsewhere) and it was okay. I can’t guarantee the results as I have never done it.
Also if it is the Christmas pudding we are talking about, it is very close to the time to be making it. It will be okay, but the pudding should ideally age for at least a couple of weeks, so the flavour may not be quite as good if you make it now.
I hope this helps. I’m sorry not to be more help. Recipes like this are a bit like alchemy and if you don’t follow them exactly the results can be very unpredictable. Merry Christmas!