Black Bun

I am still amazed that this recipe worked for me that well.

Ingredients for Pastry Case:
12 oz plain flour (3 cups)
3 oz lard (6 tablespoons)
3 oz butter or margarine (6 tablespoons)
Pinch of salt
Half teaspoon baking powder
Cold water
Ingredients for Filling:
1 lb seedless raisins (2¾ cups)
1 lb cleaned currants (2¾ cups
2 oz chopped, blanched almonds (Third of a cup)
2 oz chopped mixed peel (¼ cup)
6 oz plain flour (1½ cups)
3 oz soft brown sugar (Third of a cup)
One level teaspoon ground allspice
Half level teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder
Generous pinch of black pepper
One tablespoon brandy
One large, beaten egg
Milk to moisten
Grease an 8-inch loaf tin. Rub the fats into the flour and salt and then mix in enough cold water to make a stiff dough (remember, it is going to line the tin). Roll out the pastry and cut into six pieces, using the bottom, top and four sides of the tin as a rough guide. Press the bottom and four side pieces into the tin, pressing the overlaps to seal the pastry shell.
Mix the raisins, currants, almonds, peel and sugar together. Sift in the flour, all the spices and baking powder and bind them together using the brandy and almost all the egg and add enough milk to moisten.
Pack the filling into the lined tin and add the pastry lid, pinching the edges and using milk or egg to seal really well. Lightly prick the surface with a fork and make four holes to the bottom of the tin with a skewer. Depress the centre slightly (it will rise as it cooks).
Brush the top with milk or the rest of the egg to create a glaze.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 325F/160C/Gas Mark 3 for 2½ to 3 hours. Test with a skewer which should come out clean; if not, continue cooking. An uncooked cake sizzles if you listen closely!
Cool in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack. Cool thoroughly before storing until Hogmanay.

Bakewell Tart

The Bakewell Tart has nothing to do with "to bake well". The name of this (very old) recipe is derived from a town in Derbyshire.

100g (4 oz) of shortcrust pastry
2 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam
60g (2 oz) butter
60g (2 oz) caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp lemon zest
3 tablespoons plain flour
115g (4 oz) ground almonds
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon of flaked almonds (optional)
Icing sugar (for dusting)
Pre-heat the oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5.
Grease or line a 20cm (8 in) fluted tart tin. Best if you use one with a loose base.
Roll the pastry into a round shape a little larger than the tin. Cut a strip 1.5cm (3/4 in) wide off the pastry and put round the edge of the plate with the cut edge outwards.
Dampen this strip with water and line the plate with the remainder of the pastry. Trim the edges and prick pastry with a fork.
Spread jam evenly over the bottom of pastry base.
Beat butter and sugar until white and creamy. Beat the egg and lemon zest and add gradually to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Add a drop of almond extract if desired.
Mix the flour and ground almonds together. Fold the flour and ground almond mixture into the wet mixture using a metal spoon. Do this one spoon at a time, adding the baking powder with the last addition of flour.
Spread this mixture over the jam layer. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top, if using.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until browned and thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired and serve.

Dundee Cake

This is one of the first things I made when I took up cooking. I was quite desperate because, at first, the finished cake showed huge, ugly cracks and a friend of mine said I ought to soak the dry fruit and peel in water. Yeah, well, water... So I took Scotch and replaced the "two tablespoons of liquid" with Scotch as well.

Oh yes, and make it in time, because it ought to rest for at least two days before eating.

Not to be given to children!

For a 20cm = 8" cake tin
175 g soft butter
175 g sugar
3 large eggs
225 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
30 g ground almonds
2 tablespoons Scotch, take the superfluous liquid from the soaked fruits if there is enough left.
550 g chopped crystalized orange and lemon peel/glacé cherries and other dried fruit
at least half a bottle of Scotch
50 g blanched almonds (for the topping).
Let dried fruits etc. soak for AT THE VERY LEAST 12 hours in Scotch.
Pre-heat oven to 175°C. Grease and flour the cake tin.
Cream butter and sugar until soft and light.
Beat the eggs and add to the mixture. Save a bit egg white to glaze the almonds for the topping.
Sift flour, ground almonds and baking powder together. Fold into the creamed mixture together with the 2 tablespoons of Scotch.
Stir dried fruits etc. into the creamed mixture.
Spoon into tin, top with blanched almonds, brush the almonds with egg white.
Bake for 30 mins, then reduce heat to 150°C and bake for another 1 1/2 hours or until firm to touch.

Schottischer Früchtekuchen

Muss durchziehen, daher am besten mehrere Tage vor Verzehr zubereiten. Mengen für eine 20-cm-Springform:
175 g weiche Butter
175 g Zucker
3 große Eier
225 g Mehl
1 Tl Backpulver
30 g geriebene Mandeln
550 g Orangeat, Zitronat, Belegkirschen (kleingehackt), Tockenfrüchte (Rosinen, Korinthen, Aprikosen - letztere kleingehackt -), alles nach Geschmack oder wie vorhanden
Whisky bis zum Abwinken zum Einweichen der Trockenfrüchte
Mandeln (gepellt) zum Dekorieren
Trockenfrüchte MINDESTENS über Nacht in Whisky einweichen.
Ofen auf 175°C vorheizen. Springform fetten und bemehlen. Früchte in Whisky einlegen.
Butter und Zucker cremig miteinander verrühren. Eier schlagen und mit unterrühren. Etwas Eiweiß zum Bestreichen der Mandeln verwahren. Mehl, Backpulver und geriebene Mandeln zusammensieben, unter die cremigen Zutaten heben, mit den eingeweichten Trockenfrüchten (einschließlich der verbliebenen Flüßigkeit) verrühren, alles in die Form Löffeln, glattstreichen und mit den Mandeln belegen (ring- oder sternförmig).
Mandeln mit Eiweiß bepinseln, 30 Minuten backen, dann Hitze auf 150°C reduzieren und weitere 1 1/2 Stunden backen, bzw. bis er "durch" ist.
Ich habe Whisky genommen, da es ein schottisches Rezept ist, man kann aber sicher auch stattdessen Sherry, Rum, Calvados, Cognac/Weinbrand oder sowas nehmen.