Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is the warm spice blend that goes into Christmas fruit cakes, puddings and spiced biscuits. Cinnamon leads, ginger gives it lift and warmth, and the nutmeg, allspice and cloves sit underneath and round it out. Mixed and stored as one blend, it saves opening five jars every time you bake.
The smell on its own is sweet, woody and a little peppery. Stir it through a heavy fruit batter, a gingerbread dough or a spiced butter cake, or add a pinch to apple fillings and stewed fruit. Because the blend is balanced already, you can simply swap it in wherever a recipe asks for mixed spice.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 100
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: small jar of spice mix, about 100 g
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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50 |
1.8 ounces
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon (/ˈsɪnəmən/ sin-ə-mən) is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods. While Cinnamomum verum is sometimes considered to be "true cinnamon", most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from related species, which are also referred to as "cassia" to distinguish them from "true cinnamon".
ground
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B
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5 |
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Cloves
Cloves are the dried flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree, sold whole or ground. The ground form is intensely aromatic and slightly numbing, so it is always used in small amounts.
ground
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C
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10 |
0.4 ounce
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Nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed kernel of a tropical fruit, warm and sweetly fragrant when grated. Freshly grated nutmeg is far more aromatic than pre-ground, which loses its perfume quickly.
ground or freshly grated
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D
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10 |
0.4 ounce
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Allspice
Allspice is the dried berry of a Caribbean tree, named because its flavour suggests cinnamon, clove and nutmeg all at once. It is sold whole or ground and is a standard part of most mixed spice blends.
ground
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E
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25 |
0.9 ounce
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Ginger
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a flowering plant, in the family Zingiberaceae whose rhizome, ginger root or simply ginger, is widely used as a spice or a folk medicine.
ground
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100
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Have a dry bowl, a fine sieve and a clean airtight jar ready. Everything must be completely dry, as any moisture will cause the blend to clump. |
Bowl and jar dry, no damp spoons |
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2 |
Weigh |
Weigh A, B, C, D and E (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and ginger) into the bowl. Use scales rather than spoons, as ground spices vary a lot in weight. |
Small amounts measured accurately |
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3 |
Sift |
Sift the spices together through a fine sieve, pushing through any small lumps with the back of a spoon. |
No lumps or dark specks of unmixed clove |
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4 |
Mix |
Whisk or stir the sifted spices thoroughly so the colour is even all through. |
Uniform light brown, no streaks |
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5 |
Store |
Transfer to an airtight jar, label it and keep it in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove. |
Best used within 6 months, while the aroma is still strong |
Important Notes
This makes about 100 g of spice mix, roughly a small spice jar. Use it anywhere a recipe calls for mixed spice: a rich fruit cake, Christmas pudding, spiced biscuits, gingerbread, or a pinch in apple and pear fillings. As a rough guide, 8 to 10 g of the blend is enough for about 1 kg of fruit cake mixture, but follow whatever amount your recipe specifies.
Ground spices lose their perfume with time, so make small batches and keep the jar tightly closed, away from heat, steam and light. Grating the nutmeg fresh as you weigh it makes a noticeable difference. The blend keeps its strength for around six months; after that it is still safe but tastes flat.
The mix scales up and down neatly: the proportions are 10 parts cinnamon, 5 parts ginger, 2 parts nutmeg, 2 parts allspice and 1 part cloves.
Tools & Arrangements
Digital kitchen scales that read to 1 g, a dry mixing bowl, a fine sieve, a small whisk or spoon, a nutmeg grater if grating fresh, and a small airtight jar with a label.
