Spice news
HarvestTurmeric Rallies As Karnataka Drought Hits Crop And Raises Fresh Supply Concerns By Kedia AdvisoryTradePatel Retail launches 23-product whole spices range under Indian ChaskaChilliChili Prices Hit Rp100,000 per Kg: What's Happening?ChilliChicago-Area Brand The Spice Drops Launches a Concentrated Chili Oil That Makes Food Spicy Without Changing the FlavorHarvestSaffron In The Cold Desert? Ladakh Is Putting 90,000 Iranian Corms To The TestMarketsUttar Pradesh Gears Up To Become Global Hub For Spice Processing & ExportsHarvestWhy 100 UP Farmers Are Growing Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop RaidsHarvestKashmir Squanders SaffronChilliChesapeake Chili Crisp? A DC-Area Chef Is Putting Unexpected Spins on the Condiment.HarvestRed Gold In Cold Desert: Iranian Corms Take Root As Ladakh Begins Saffron Farming Under 'Him Sarovar'HarvestTurmeric Rallies As Karnataka Drought Hits Crop And Raises Fresh Supply Concerns By Kedia AdvisoryTradePatel Retail launches 23-product whole spices range under Indian ChaskaChilliChili Prices Hit Rp100,000 per Kg: What's Happening?ChilliChicago-Area Brand The Spice Drops Launches a Concentrated Chili Oil That Makes Food Spicy Without Changing the FlavorHarvestSaffron In The Cold Desert? Ladakh Is Putting 90,000 Iranian Corms To The TestMarketsUttar Pradesh Gears Up To Become Global Hub For Spice Processing & ExportsHarvestWhy 100 UP Farmers Are Growing Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop RaidsHarvestKashmir Squanders SaffronChilliChesapeake Chili Crisp? A DC-Area Chef Is Putting Unexpected Spins on the Condiment.HarvestRed Gold In Cold Desert: Iranian Corms Take Root As Ladakh Begins Saffron Farming Under 'Him Sarovar'
EveryMasala

Sweet and baking blends

Mixed spice (pudding spice)

The British baking blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove for puddings and buns.

Mixed spice is a sweet blend used in British, Irish and Commonwealth baking. It goes into Christmas pudding, fruit cake, hot cross buns and spiced biscuits. It is similar to American pumpkin spice but is used in a different range of recipes.

What goes in

Cinnamon: 36%36%Allspice: 18%18%Nutmeg: 18%18%Ginger: 9%9%Clove: 9%9%Coriander seed: 9%9%11parts

Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.

  1. Step 1: Grind Grind the coriander seed and clove finely.
  2. Step 2: Grind Grate the nutmeg.
  3. Step 3: Blend Combine with the cinnamon, allspice and ginger.
  4. Step 4: Blend Sift twice for an even blend.
  5. Step 5: Rest Let it stand a day so the flavours settle.
  6. Step 6: Store Store in a small jar.
  7. Cinnamon: 36%36%Allspice: 18%18%Nutmeg: 18%18%Ginger: 9%9%Clove: 9%9%Coriander seed: 9%9%
    Finished Mixed spice (pudding spice), by share.

Make-up

Cinnamon is the main part, with nutmeg, allspice, clove, ginger, coriander seed and mace. Some blends include caraway or cardamom.

Seasonal use

It is closely tied to Christmas baking, and to Easter hot cross buns, where the spices are part of the festive taste. Shops sell it all year.

Where it is used

Christmas puddingFruit cakeHot cross bunsSpiced biscuits

The spices in it

CinnamonBase.AllspiceWarm.NutmegRich.GingerThe pungent rhizome of a flowering plant, widely used as a spice and folk medicine.CloveThe dried flower bud of a tropical tree, prized for its intense warmth and numbing bite.CorianderThe leaves and dried seeds of an annual Mediterranean herb used in cuisines worldwide.

More on EveryMasala

No spices here yet. New pages are added every day.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven spices you may not know, what is cooking this week, and one blend explained step by step.