I don’t know about you, but Christmas comes at the wrong time of year for me. Even though I’ve grown up in Australia, the weather just doesn’t suit the heavy Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, mince pie dishes we seem to think we have to have for Christmas lunch. Yet my palate craves the taste  of Christmas. You know, spice and dried fruit, the scents that make the house smell wonderful and set the tone for the festive season.

Well this year, I think I’ve reached a happy medium – currants, pastry, spices – easier than making my own fiddly mince pies and infinitely better than store-bought ones. Add grated orange rind or mixed peel to the mix too, if you like the flavour.

I was reminded of these on our recent visit to the Barossa, where it seemed Eccles cakes were everywhere: made with the decadently delicious local Careme puff pastry at the iconic Barossa Markets, at Lyndoch Bakery and somewhere else too.

Quick, simple, these little dainties won’t overheat the house as they cook, and they will keep well if made a few days ahead. They’d even pack nicely as gifts! That’s if you can bear to give them away.

MINI ECCLES CAKES

1 1/4 cups currants
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1-2 teaspoons Herbie’s* Fragrant Sweet Spices (or nutmeg, mixed spice, cinnamon to taste)
3 sheets puff pastry, (I use fat-reduced)

Mix currants, butter, sugar, water and spices together in a small saucepan and heat until butter and sugar is melted – about 1-2 minutes. Stand until cool.

Take out frozen puff pastry sheets and lay them out on a bench top with the plastic backing still attached. Cut each sheet into thirds across and thirds downwards to make nine squares.

Preheat fan-forced oven to 200C (220C without fan).

Place a teaspoonful of currant mixture in the centre of each square. Remove each square of pastry from the backing and gather up the edges like a money bag to make a ball enclosing the currants. Turn the ball over and roll out with a small rolling pin, quite thinly so that the currants show through.

Line a baking tray with kitchen paper and arrange flattened pastries on the tray – nine to a tray works about right. Sprinkle tops with sugar and cut small slits in the top.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until pastries are golden, top and bottom. Makes 27.

If liked, you can make bigger Eccles cakes by cutting the pastry sheets into quarters and using more filling in each.

* www.herbies.com.a