#ConfectionCollection: Mincemeat Clotted Cream Fudge

Growing up I never saw the point of fudge, it was too sweet the texture was really grainy and I never liked the flavour combinations. My sister was a huge fan of rum and raisin fudge, but I always despised dried fruit, so I stayed well away from her stash.

Then in my late 20s I discovered a lovely pub called The Crooked Billet,  they did a wonderful Sunday lunch, which in my opinion included the best eton mess ever. I haven’t been back to the pub in a very long time, but one thing that always stuck with me was the homemade vanilla fudge they served with the coffee.

The coffee would come steaming hot, dark and bitter and the fudge was fridge cold, the contrast in temperatures was delicious when you had the two together. This fudge was so smooth, not at all grainy and the cold temperature really took the edge off the sweetness.

This mincemeat clotted cream fudge reminds me exactly of the fudge I ate after a boozy Sunday lunch that I remember so fondly.

When you make fudge it’s a real workout, you need to beat it for quite a while and really work it so that it doesn’t just set as caramel. I know this because when I made this mincemeat clotted cream fudge, it turned out more like caramel, I thought I had beaten it enough, but it didn’t set properly.

You’ll be pleased to know you don’t need to make this fudge again if it doesn’t work out. I just re-heated it to 116C and then beat the mixture all over again and this time it actually worked.

So if your mincemeat clotted cream fudge doesn’t look like fudge, don’t throw it away, just heat it again and give it another really good mix. Use a wooden spoon as I found a silicone spoon was a bit too flexible. If you leave the fudge to cool for a minute or two, then start beating, you will need to stir for at least 10 minutes until the mix looks dull and a bit grainy, it will also thicken substantially as well.

This fudge makes a great gift, it keeps for up to a couple of weeks after you’ve made it and I just love it in these jars, all labelled up and decorated with berries or holly. It makes a great thank you, or just something little to give to your neighbours or perhaps the teacher at school. Do people still do that? I don’t have children, but I remember taking things in for the teacher and our class getting small presents from the teacher.

If you want to make your own mincemeat for this fudge, you can use the recipe I have here. Alternatively you can just use a good shop bought mincemeat, if you can find anything that is rum based that will work really well in this fudge. If you use shop bought mincemeat, you may need to add the mincemeat when the fudge is on the heat, just to cook it out, in case it has suet in it or needs cooking.

#ConfectionCollection: Mincemeat Clotted Cream Fudge

Patisserie Makes Perfect

To make fudge, you really need a strong arm, as it is simply a caramel that you beat really hard until the sugar cools and crystallises. This turns the caramel to fudge. You can use a shop bought mincemeat to make this recipe, but you may need to cook the mincemeat off in the hot mixture before you beat it. If you want to make your own mincemeat you can use the recipe I used here.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Confectionery

Ingredients

  

• 275 g Caster Sugar
• 100 g Golden Syrup
• 227 g Clotted Cream
• ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tsp Liquid Glucose
• 200 g Mincemeat

Instructions

 

• Grease and line the base of a 20cm tin with baking parchment.
• Place the sugar, golden syrup, clotted cream, vanilla extract and liquid glucose in a large saucepan.
• Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil, cover the fudge with a lid and boil for 3 minutes.
• Uncover the fudge and continue to boil until the temperature reaches 116 °C / 240 °F.
• Remove from the heat and leave the fudge to one side until the bubbling subsides. When it has stopped bubbling, add the mincemeat and beat the mixture until it becomes thick.
• This can take over 10 minutes, so prepare to have a tired arm! When the fudge has been beaten enough, it will be matte, very thick and a little bit grainy.
• Pour the fudge into the tin and leave for 30 minutes. Mark it into squares with a knife and leave until set. Cut into pieces and store in an airtight container. The fudge will keep well for up to 2 weeks.

Do you have any edible gifts that you like to make for people?

Thanks for reading.

Angela