The festive season is well underway, and online searches for easy, festive bakes are on the rise.

According to Google Trends data, “Christmas recipes baking” have been breakout search terms over the past week.

And what better way to get into the festive mood than by making sponge topped mince pies which are a showstopper treat.

Not only are they going to impress guests and loved ones over the Christmas period but they are easy to make.

This delicious recipe comes from Dualit and is a twist on a traditional mince pie, made with a fun and festive twist.

Method:

First, preheat your oven to 180ºC/170ºC fan.

Using a pastry cutter, make 12 pastry cases from your ready-made shortcrust pastry and gently push each into a floured, shallow bun tin.

Next, spoon your mincemeat mix into each case, being careful not to overfill.

Add the egg, flour, milk, butter, vanilla essence and sugar into a bowl. Using a hand mixer and flat beater attachment, whisk the ingredients together to form a smooth batter for the sponge topping.

Carefully place a spoonful of your cake mixture on top of the mincemeat filling for each pie.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. It is recommended that you check halfway through and lightly cover the top of the mince pies with foil, allowing them to cook but not burn.

Finally, remove the mince pies from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.