… what do you honestly want for Christmas… can any of us really need anything other than the love of good friends and family and a warm bed to lie on? I know that now I’ve reached the ripe old age of twenty nice there’s very little that I actually need and in fact The Viking and I often make a pledge to buy small, stocking filler type items only and save our money for holidays and the sales. Sure, when I was a kid I loved being spoiled by Father Christmas and I remember one year when I was roughly 7 or 8 I so desperately wanted a ray-gun for Christmas that I painstakingly drew the exact ray-gun I wanted on a piece of paper for Father Christmas just so he’d get the the right one… which of course he did…
I was into my sci-fi and tech gadgets even back then (YES we had technology back in the 70’s when I was a kid!) and it seems it’s the same today… did you know that according to a survey by Intel, men are more generous than women when it comes to gift giving but they don’t always get what they want in return… Men are likely to spend over £100 more on gifts than women and the research also discovered that more than half of respondents (51%) say that they like receiving technology and gadget based gifts. Technology also ranked number one on the most wanted Christmas list with a third of respondents admitting that they would like to see a sleek, tablet device in their stocking.
In the UK, men have a clear preference for gadgets (35%), whilst preferred gifts for women this year are more evenly spaced between vouchers (29%), health and beauty products (18%) and gadgets and technology (14%), leaving plenty of options for the men in their lives to choose from… and I have a very generous gift via Intel from me to one of you… a very sleek Acer Iconia A1 Tablet… all you have to do to answer is read the rest of this post and then answer a simple question in the rafflecopter gadget below…
mincemeat cake with cinnamon and TOTAL Greek Yoghurt icing
after the success of my mince pie flapjacks and then seeing a variety of mincemeat induced goodies on the bloggersphere I realised just how versatile mincemeat really is. I must stop a moment before I go on to clarify to my non-UK based readers that mincemeat is a traditional Christmas preserve made from a collection of fruits, spices, sugar and quite often brandy, that is commonly used to fill the traditional Christmas mince pies so popular here in the UK… mincemeat is NOT minced meat or beef. Don’t get this wrong or you could end up with some nasty results. You can buy some gorgeous mincemeat out there in a billion different flavours but if you want to make your own try my homemade whisky mincemeat recipe or check out this one from Karen at Lavender and Lovage or this chocolate infused one from Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog… the point is, is that for me mincemeat is THE flavour of Christmas and if you can use it in a non-traditional way, such as I have here by replacing it for the marmalade I would normally use in my grandma’s marmalade recipe then you can spread the mincemeat and Christmas joy for a longer part of the season…
for the cake
200g slightly salted butter
200g caster sugar
3 large free-range eggs
200g self-raising flour
2 tablespoons mincemeat
for the icing
4 tablespoons TOTAL Greek Yoghurt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
400g icing sugar
pre-heat the oven to 180C and grease and line a 22cm baking tin with a posse bottom
in a large bowl cream the butter and sugar with a hand-held electric whisk for at least 3 minutes until pale and fluffy then add one egg and beat in well followed by a third of the flour which you should beat in well, continue alternating ingredients in this way with the rest of the eggs and flour and then beat in the mincemeat
pour the batter into your tin and bale for 35 – 40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean… check after 30 mins that it’s not going too dark in which case you should cover the cake with a layer of foil to prevent burning – once baked, turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven then set aside whilst you make the icing
beat the cinnamon into the yoghurt and then stir in the icing sugar until you have a thickish consistency… I like mine a little runny which always looks more decadent… cut the cake in half and slather half the icing on the bottom half of the cake. Lay the top half onto it and then slather the rest of the icing on top… serve dusted in icing sugar
a Rafflecopter giveaway//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
because this is clearly a Christmas Cake i’m entering it into this months brilliant AlphaBakes bloggers challenge that has X as its letter and is hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and Ros from The More Than Occasional
Baker… i’ve neglected this challenge quite a bit lately so i hope this goes some way to make up for it…
eat and of course, enjoy!
My first tech gadget Christmas present was an ipod. I still have it!
My first tech gadget was probably a Walkman which makes me feel positively ancient!
Mine was a wakman..i was made up for months afterwards x showing my age lol
Record player (blushes) it had the turn table at the top then a cd player. It was in a wooden box on wheels with a space at the bottom to store records & tapes
My first was an iPod and some Yanks know mincemeat is not made with meat!! lovely recipe!
My first gadget was a Sony Walkman, hello 90s…
I think my first was probably a walkman!
carlahollands@hotmail.com
You wouldn't think all those different things in a cake would go together but it actually sounds nice.
I have never had a tech gadget for Christmas! Cue sad violin music.
I think my first gadget was a Commodore 64 computer!
Ha! A MiniDisk player…now I'm showing my age
A Sinclair Oxford 300 pocket calculator – for Christmas 1972
Mine was a Walkman(can't remember the brand – maybe Philips or Sony) This was when I was a teen 🙂
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Not sure I've ever had one!!!!
I've only had mincemeat once, it was in the form of a pie and very memorable. The cake and Greek yogurt icing sounds delicious.
My first tech gadget was an electronic learning device for little kids that played word games like hangman, all three kids got to share that Christmas gift. Too bad it got left out in the rain.
A red walkman, I really loved it too. Wishing you a very happy Christmas.
The cake looks festively fantastic Mr! I shan't enter the giveaway but my first tech gadget was possibly my first personal stereo (we were too poor for proper Walkmans) which was probably the size of a small video recorder.
Wow,, a Casio calculator I think in the 70's
A Casio calculator in the 70's I think
A walkman when I was younger
Kim Neville
A Vic20
zx spectrum 48k computer
I am sure that the icing yogurt makes this cake totally healthy for the holidays. I am sure of it.
A handheld cassette player that you could also play tetris on it
A Commodore 64.
A sony walkman
a megadrive….it was the best day :')
My first tech gadget? I honestly can't remember. Perhaps a Walkman.
A ZX Spectrum!
a tape player!
Nokia3310, does that count?!
Oh can't remember what it was called – that Ping thing – table tennis on your telly. Very innivative at the time 🙂
a record player
Walkie Talkie
A Commodore 64
An Atari
I got a Sony Walkman that changed my life. Showing my age now. 😉 lol
Commodore 64
A Cassette walkman and i loved it, especially the orange spongy earphones xx
An electronic diary. It seemed so high tech at the time and now it seems ancient!
It was a small arcade game of pac-man when I was about seven
I was one of the first in our area to get a ZX81 computer – I made money from writing programs for it and selling them to magazines 🙂
A Sony Walkman – many years ago!
I actually don't ever remember getting a tech gadget for Christmas!
I got an iPod in Christmas in 2009 Christmas 🙂
a netbook x
A Walkman that I used when I walked to school.
a netbook x
BBC Micro Model B
N64
Cassette player and recorder
a lovely zx spectrum!
Mine was a ZX Spectrum Computer – There goes my secret about my age 😉
An iPod 🙂
CD player! Best day ever! 😉
A Walkman
Maybe a portably CD player … that's so long ago I can't remember!
first gift I ever got was a Gameboy colour
Probably a Discman!
a walkman!
Ashleigh
A radio
my record player
a gameboy! The first generation when everyone played tetris on a green screen!
An Amstrad computer
A walkman.
A record player!
A Sony Tape walkman !!
Do you remember cassette recorders?
A Sony walkman
a mobile phone
I asked for a hand held pac-man game, but I got a hand held space invaders game – close… but I did miss the wacka wacka wacka
I don't think I've ever been given tech for Christmas. Odd considering that's my job!
@gavrc
I got a ghetto blaster, man I loved that thing!
A Walkman.
A tape recorder
gameboy advance colour 🙂
Is a walkman classed as tech?
gameboy
A cassette player.
a sony tape player
It was a record player
it was a casio watch red flashing digital
A portable TV to take away to uni – not even a remote control one in those days!
My first was a portable cassette player and radio!
I REALLY want this DOM – for Malcolm!! AND the cake looks AMAZING too – thanks for linking to my homemade mincemeat! Karen xxx
A Fidelity portable record player!
a mobile phone
A Walkman
A Game Boy.x
a lap top!
My first tech gadget would have been a Vtech kids laptop that had educational games on it. It had a black and white screen with no backlight so could only be played with under a lamp!
My first tech gadget was a kindle, was always sort of afraid of them before but love it now!
A Sony Walkman CD player (with a B*Witched album to play on it!)
Sony waterproof walkman
Atari ST
a gameboy 🙂
Sony Walkman
a gameboy
Commodore 64
CD player 🙂
the talkman from home alone 2
A Sinclair Oxford 300 Scientific Calculator. It cost around £25 in the mid 70s – that's about £200 in today's money!
When I was about 12 I got a fab record player and tape decks in a cabinet…that was a long time ago hahaha! Other than that I've not had any tech gadget gifts really!
a speak and spell game!
Mine was a ZX Spectrum
ZX81
Years and years ago.. a very small radio.
RC – Su Tyler
A CD Player
Mincemeat definitely screams Christmas and this cake looks delicious! I love the icing and your photo is so tempting.Thanks for entering AlphaBakes.
My first tech gadget that I can remember is a Sony Walkman, could have received something earlier than that but I can't remember!
Donkey Kong Game & Watch
It was a Kindle from my son, I still have it its brilliant
Nokia 5110
A mobile phone which now would seem very basic and brick like, but at the time it was cool and trendy 😀
A stereo with double tape deck and turntable…..best present ever! 🙂
Have bookmarked your cake recipe it has made me hungry…..gonna try it at the weekend it sounds and looks gorgeous x
I think mine would have been a walkman
We got an Amiga 600 many moons ago, we only had 2 games and they were really hard to control!
Probably my Sega Dreamcast – it was certainly the best. I loved that console!
a laptop was like a brick haha
A Nokia 3210!
atari games console
I was given a TV for Chrismtas
a digital watch, thought it was very special at the time!
A Sony walkman.
From what I can remember, it was a portable CD player. Although, I may have gotten a NES or Master System before that.
A toy called a “Merlon”
My GameBoy Colour 😀
A Sinclair ZX80
A record player – plain and simple with two speakers! Cake looks lovely but what special icing – must try this yogurt and cinnamon. Very Christmassy!
A Super Nintendo to share with my sister 🙂
Hele
I think it was a walkman, it was red and I thought I was so cool!
my first gadget was a Commodore 64 computer! – leanne w
My Commodore 64 🙂
I got a Sagem mobile phone
My sister and I got a Commodore 64 between us when we were about 10, we thought it was brilliant!
My first tech gadget that I could call my own, was a computer!
A walkman, I loved it!
Was a walkbox <<<< dunno how you would spell it lol
walkman
A mobile phone the size of a brick with a pull out aerial!!
an battery operated helicopter
A watch radio
An orange or was it red old school texas instrument speak and spell. Like the one from E.T. lol
ZX Spectrum, loved it in the day. Great at loading games taking upto 3rd in a on tape Dec only to crash. Those where the days
30mins not 3rd
An iPad mini
Atari 2600. Wish I still had it, the graphics were basic but most of the games were much more fun than a lot of modern games
SEGA GAME GEAR!
havent got one yet 🙂
@avelte2000
A gameboy x
I've never had one for Christmas. The nearest to a tech gadget was a calculator that I got for Christmas around 1977
A master system, so cool back then!
It was a CD Walkman – the model before they put the anti-bump mechanism in so it kept jumping as every couple of minutes.
a walkman when i was a kid
it was probably my spectrum +2 !!
a reel-to-reel tape recorder! – way before cassettes!
galaxy invaders handheld game
A Nokia 3210!
Gameboy I think
A Commodore 64 x
An Atari “Woody” 2600!
My PS2
Lovely cake and lovely photos Dom! My first 'tech' gadget for Xmas was (I think) a digital radio alarm clock back in the 70's….. it had a snooze button which lasted 9 minutes before it woke me up again……. and again……. and again…..
A stereo when I was about 7. It had a turntable on the top. I loved taping the top 10 on cassette and trying to stop it before the dj came back on lol
My first PC the wife bought it about 15 yrs ago
My first tech gadget was a laptop – supposedly for me but my o/h is always on it!
Sega Mega Drive
A radio cassette player over 30 years ago but still used in the garage!!
I think it was a PC.
A tape recorder.
Hazel Rea – @beachrambler
A tape recorder and radio combined 🙂
A personal stereo and fluffy headphones – I have still got them now 🙂
A Walkman
A Super Nintendo Entertainment System, my mum made me learn how to spell it before she'd agree to buy it for me lol
going back, was a sony walkman (the bright yellow one) I used to love that thing!!
A mobile phone the size of a small brick
An old style gameboy! It was huge with a tiny screen! oh and in black and white lol
Haven't ever been given a tech gadget for a christmas present 🙁
So if I was to win this would be my first ever tech gadget for christmas!!!
Radofin Progammable Tele-sports III Video Games Console
it was a zx spectrum that I got as a joint present with my sister, still remember us sitting there with the instruction book for hours typing in a load of code to make a picture come up on the tv.
Mine was a joint present with my brother, an original Playstation.
a cassette player about 25 years ago!
a cassette player, it was ace
A mobile phone and i have just learnt to put pictures on this new one…barbara m
a Cassette Player
ZX Spectrum
An Acorn Electron computer
My first gadget was a walkman
A Commodore 64, I loved it waiting ages for games to load up and then crashing just as you start playing
A Casio calculator.
A walkman
A cassette player
It was a walkman
a ZX Spectrum +1 …… paper boy was da bomb on it hahaha !
Probably a walkman
A cassette walkman with foam covered headphones.
My secret diary
A walkman 🙂
A Sony PlayStation 🙂
A playstation 2
The old game console that played table tennis in black and white
a walkman.
a gameboy!
gameboy
a walkman
A ZX Spectrum
An Amega 500+ – I LOVED it 🙂 xx
I got a pager once. I don't think I ever got to grips with it and was kind of relieved when someone accidentally stepped on it and broke it.
My first gadget was a Sony Walkman!
@ukireland
An Atari 2600 console
A hand held Nintendo Play&Watch Donkey Kong 🙂
A Atari 2600!
Sony walkman
Sony Walkman
A cassette player
A gameboy back in the 90s! xx
A ZX Spectrum
Has to be My Walkman! With the thick spongey headphones. I was sooooo Cool. was the best feeling ever x
A twin deck tape recorder
hard to think back, but I'm pretty sure it'd be an MP3 player
a mobile phone cant remember what make but it was huge!
A Commodore C64
walkman x x x
Sega master system!
I think it was a phone, never had a computer when I was little x
Oh wow… what a fabulous giveaway ! I'm not sure if I have any luck to take this home with me. haha… Oh well, who knows ! Btw, your savory cake is very special especially with those yogurt icing. Enjoy & have a great week ahead.
Blessings, Kristy
Mine was a sony walkman, my dad bought it from Singapore somewhere in the 1980's.
Those little handheld LED football games. That's quite a while back in time!
Mine was a joint present with my brother, a NES, even though the games were simple compared to today's standards I do miss them, especially the Mario games and would happily have the console again.
a commodore 64
I got a yellow walkman to play my cassettes on.
an amiga 500 and still have it in the garage and it still woks
sega master system
A Walkman when I was a kid…how times change!!
It has to be The Sony Walkman, and I kept up to a few years ago!
A tiny TV for my bedroom – I was so chuffed!!
a camera 🙂
A portable Cassette Recorder
A Commodore 64 when I was 8.
I got a walkman for christmas when I was a kid, absolutely loved it but boy was it bulky!
My first techy gift was a nintendo game boy with tetris on it – me and my brother both got one and many fun hours were had on it.
a walkman
a nokia phone 🙂
a walkman
A scientific calculator
a gameboy
A walkman or a tape player!
A Walkman, but not a Sony one, would have been a chep one like a Bush or Lloytron or something 🙁
Wowzers this sounds good. Mincemeat is a wonderful ingredient AND I haven't got around to making any this year. Thanks for mentioning my chocolate version.
Suppose I'll chance my luck! My first techie gadget was a cassette player – boy was I ahead of my time!
a walkman – i thought i was the bees knees!
A walkman
Commodore 64!
A sega master system
A record player in the 50s
A cassette player which I loved x
A record player
A calculator
An old FM/AM/LW radio
It was walkman 🙂
A Nintendo with Duck Hunt
walkman a long time ago!