A baker. Without an oven. During the holidays. This is the first-world tragedy I am currently living.

I have a new model picked out, an upgrade: I’m just waiting for the right time, with the largest amount of discounts and rebates. That time, by the way, was before December 4, but I hesitated, the repair company still assuring me my oven was repairable. Of course, they called me on December 5 with the bad news. A immediate follow-up call to Home Depot confirmed I was too late to squeak in under the Black Friday wire. So now, I wait.

My holiday baking repertoire doesn’t tend to vary:  Gibassier, Marzipan Stollen, Biscochitos, with a cookie or two added if the whim strikes me. Another item I bake every year is Eccles cakes…or mince pies, depending on who in my family wins the battle. I use the same filling for both, so the flavor profile is consistent. The difference lies in the pastry. Eccles cakes are made with a flaky rough-puff dough and can be fiddly to properly seal for baking. Mince pies, on the other hand, are made with a short crust pastry and can be topped with more pastry, marzipan, or a crumble topping: bite-size delicious pies.

I’ve been on a mince pie kick the last couple of years, testing various topping options to decide on my favorite – the quintessential mince pie flourish. My sister, however, prefers the flaky wrapper of an Eccles cake. Last year, I relented and baked Eccles to appease her. This year,  I was planning on returning to mince pie perfecting, but then my oven took its last breath.

This year, I can only dream.

Click on the photos below for the full recipes.