Although adding the mincemeat gives both an extra dimension and flavour, feel free to leave it out and rely instead on the naked cake itself to create the Christmas pudding appearance.
The pudding will help ensure your cake has that soft, pliable, and moist texture, while a box of gelatin or cook-and-serve pudding may not yield the same result.
It became a signature of Cumbria, England, and proudly sits alongside plum pudding and other classic British desserts. However, some sweet tooth scholars believe the cake recipe originated in Canada.