Mixed spice substitutes

The blend itself, mixed from standard baking-cupboard spices in about two minutes.

Best for

fruitcake and Christmas cake, hot cross buns, mince pies, Christmas pudding, bread and butter pudding

2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground allspice, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground cloves, plus ¼ tsp ground mace if you have it. This is not an approximation, it is the blend. Store it in a small jar away from light and use it within six months. Freshly grated nutmeg instead of the pre-ground kind makes more difference here than any other single change you can make.

The American cinnamon-led baking blend, usually cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice with a little cardamom.

Best for

hot cross buns, fruitcake, spiced biscuits, bread pudding, any British bake

The closest one-jar substitute there is, and it will pass unnoticed in almost anything. It leans harder on cinnamon and has fewer moving parts, so the bake is slightly warmer, sweeter-smelling and a shade less complex. The specific thing missing is ground coriander seed, which gives British mixed spice a faint warm-citrus lift. Add a scrape of orange zest to your batter and you have effectively replaced it.

The other American blend: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove, with no coriander.

Best for

fruitcake, mince pies, gingerbread and spiced loaves, hot cross buns

Usable, and the most likely jar in an American kitchen. The difference is real but small: pumpkin pie spice carries noticeably more ginger and clove, so it smells sharper and more assertive and slightly medicinal in a delicate sponge. In a heavy fruitcake, where the fruit and brandy are loud, you genuinely cannot tell. In a plain spiced Madeira or a light bun, use about three quarters of the amount.

The minimum viable blend from the two spices almost everyone already owns.

Best for

sponges and loaf cakes, crumbles, porridge and rice pudding, biscuits

Gets you most of the way and is much better than skipping the spice. It is simpler and rounder, and what it lacks is the peppery-citrus lift that coriander, allspice and mace bring, so the bake smells cosy rather than complex. If you also have ginger and cloves, add a pinch of each and the gap closes almost entirely. A scrape of orange or lemon zest in the batter genuinely helps.

Northern European baking blends from the same family, with cardamom and white pepper added.

Best for

fruitcake and Christmas cake, mince pies, gingerbread, spiced biscuits

Excellent in anything rich and dark. These blends are more aromatic and carry a distinct peppery edge from white pepper and often anise, so the bake smells markedly more Christmassy and a little sharper. Start with three quarters of the quantity, because they are stronger than British mixed spice and will dominate a plain sponge or a lightly spiced bun.

The tea-spice blend, cardamom and pepper forward with ginger, cinnamon and clove.

Best for

banana bread, loaf cakes, biscuits, spiced buns

Works, but takes the bake somewhere else: cardamom and black pepper dominate and the result tastes recognisably of chai rather than of a British spiced cake. That is lovely in banana bread and a bit odd in a Christmas cake. Use half to three quarters of the amount. Do not reach for garam masala instead, even though the name looks similar. Garam masala is cumin and pepper led and will make a sweet bake taste savoury and slightly dusty.