Mince Pie Dessert

If you're looking for a Christmas pudding alternative still with all the festive feels, this Mince Pie Dessert is for you! It has a baked mince pie base (using shop-bought mince pies), and a no-bake, creamy filling with a touch of orange and a scattering of crumbled mince pies running through it. It's a lovely and light dessert, making it perfect to serve after a heavy Christmas Dinner. 

Whilst this may look like a mince pie cheesecake, but there's actually no cheese in sight.  Instead, the filling is made with cream, condensed milk and gelatine powder and the consistency is similar to velvety panna cotta.

Using shop bought mince pies, and a whipped filling, you don't need to be a skilled baker to make this Mince Pie Dessert. It's a great size for feeding a crowd, serving 10-12 people. It can be made the day before, and decorated in just a few minutes nearer serving time. Or you can go without decoration if you prefer.

Making my Mince Pie Dessert: Notes

You'll need to make this dessert at least 5 hours before you want to serve it, or ideally the day before. If you are having it for Christmas Day, you'll want to make it the day before on Christmas Eve anyway. You'll first need to make the crumb base of mince pies and melted butter, using a food processor. Then you'll bake it briefly for 10 minutes, leave it to cool for one hour and then transfer to the fridge while you make your filling.

You'll also need to crush some of the mince pies in a food bag with a rolling pin or meat mallet briefly for the filling, and to decorate.

To make the filling, you'll need an electric whisk and two medium-large mixing bowls. You'll also need to juice the orange and strain the pulp out of it using a sieve or tea strainer. Once the filling is done, you'll pour it onto the cooled base, cover and chill to set.

For full instructions, see recipe below.

Mince Pie Dessert Ingredients: Notes

Here are my notes for the main ingredients for this mincemeat pie dessert. Scroll down to the recipe to see the full list and measurements.

Mince Pies

You will need to buy two packs of six mince pies, go for the basic shortcrust pastry, supermarket own label ones. Of the two packs you will need eight mince pies, or seven if you don't want to decorate the dessert. You're also going to need a food processor in order to make the crust with five of the mince pies. You'll then add a little melted butter and whizz again. Next, press the crumb into the bottom of an 8 inch cake tin and bake briefly for 10 minutes. Then you'll leave it to cool for an hour before transferring to the fridge while you make your filling.

You'll put the other three mince pies into a food bag and crush up briefly with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Two thirds of those crushed mince pies will be used to fold through the creamy filling, and the remainder you will crumble on around the edge of the desert.

Condensed Milk

You'll need to buy a tin of regular condensed milk, not light or an unsweetened version. We're using condensed milk in this Mince Pie Dessert because of the silky texture and sweet flavour it gives it. Plus, because of its thickness, it will help it to set to the perfect consistency. And because it is so sweet (along with the mince pies), we will only be adding a very small amount of sugar.

Orange

You'll need one orange for the filling, just to give it a subtle orange flavour that pairs perfectly with the mince pie and cream flavour. You will need to juice the orange, then strain away the pulp. You will then stir the juice into the condensed milk.

Gelatine

To set this creamy filling, giving it a panna cotta type consistency, you will need gelatine. You'll want to buy gelatine powder in sachets, or in a large pack. You'll need 3 teaspoons of it, which is just under one 12 g sachet. If you've not used gelatine before, don't be put off, it's really nothing to be scared of. You'll just add it to some water, let it stand for a couple of minutes, then microwave it briefly and stir to dissolve. Once it's cooled off a little, add it to your creamy filling and you can let the fridge do the work of setting it.

Whipping Cream

Of course, you can't have a creamy dessert filling like this without whipping. You'll need a 300ml pot or 10.14oz heavy cream(US). This will be whisked with an electric whisk, also while you add in the sugar, followed by the cooled gelatine. Next, you'll add in the condensed milk and orange juice mixture.

Decorating & Serving my Mince Pie Dessert: Notes

How to Serve

Because you can't cover the dessert without it being in the tin, covering the top of the dessert with clingfilm/plastic wrap will result in the filling sticking to the clingfilm. I recommend you leave it in the tin until you are nearly ready to serve. Then to remove the Mince Pie Dessert from the baking tin, run a sharp knife round the edge of the filling before releasing the cake tin side. Then release it slowly.

You can either leave the dessert on the cake tin base to serve, or use a knife and a cake lifter to lift the dessert onto a cake stand or plate for table serving. To do this, carefully slide in the knife in between the dessert base and the baking tin liner. Use the knife to then help you slide in the cake lifter a little, then slide the knife out and carefully slide the cake lifter all the way under the base, lift and then place onto a plate or cake stand. 

Refrigerate, uncovered and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Because it won't be covered, I would only recommend doing this for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

How to Decorate

This is optional, you can serve this Mince Pie Dessert as it comes out the tin. If you do want to decorate it, I recommend removing it from the tin up to a couple of hours before you want to serve it.  For example, after you've had Christmas dinner. Then decorate it, and transfer back to the fridge on just the base or cake stand until ready to serve.

To decorate, use your fingers to further crumble the remaining crushed mince pie around the edge of the cheesecake, sprinkling it around ½ inch wide all the way round. To finish the decoration, you'll also need a pack of rosemary and a little icing sugar.

Then, using food scissors, snip some of the sprigs into two size pieces 1) the very tip of the sprigs under the first leaves, and 2) pieces that are a little longer, under 2 tiers of leaves. You will need about 6 of each. Then take a small sieve or tea strainer and dust them with icing sugar. Place the larger rosemary sprigs on top of the crumb edge, evenly spaced. Then add the smaller sprigs in between. See video near top of page and pictures for guidance.

FAQ's For My Mince Pie Dessert

How far in advance can I prepare this Mince Pie Dessert?

This dessert needs at least five hours in the fridge in order to set the filling. I would definitely recommend making it the day before. Otherwise, if you're serving it after dinner, you could make it first thing in the morning. But if you are serving it on Christmas Day, you obviously won't be wanting to make it Christmas morning anyway. 

Decorating is optional, but if you do want to, you'll want to remove it from the cake tin (see above) and decorate it right before, or up to a couple hours before you serve it. If you do this a couple of hours in advance to serving, just transfer the Mince Pie Dessert back into the fridge until you're ready to serve.

Can I use gelatine sheets instead of powder?

I wouldn't recommend it as I haven't tested it with gelatine sheets, so I wouldn't know how many to recommend you use. 

The gelatine has started to set, can I use it still?

Unfortunately not. If you leave the gelatine to cool for too long, it will set and when you add it to the cream filling mixture, it will not incorporate properly and will remain as clumps in the filling. It may also mean you're filling doesn't set. Best thing to do is restart the gelatine process again and carry on with the recipe steps where you left off.

Can I Store Mince Pie Dessert leftovers?

You can store any Mince Pie Dessert leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (make day + 2).

More on safe food storage and reheating.

What diets is this recipe suitable for?

My Mince Pie Dessert is suitable for egg-free diets (so long as your mince pie packet doesn't contain an egg warning) and vegetarians.

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