Lardy Cake

I have lived away from my hometown, Worcester, longer than I ever lived there! I left home at 18 to go to University in Liverpool and apart from holidays I haven’t lived at home since.You would think by now I would have stopped getting homesick but that simply is not the case. I miss  my family, Worcester cathedral, walking down the Shambles, even getting stuck in the one way system! Worcester is currently severely flooded due to the River Severn and the River Teme bursting their banks. The video below shows the extent of the flooding which is shocking.

One of the silly things I miss from home is Lardy cake! I was brought up on it. There is a tiny little bakery on Broad Street that make wonderful cottage loaves and the best lardy cake in the entire world! I always buy them when I go home.

This recipe is an homage to the lardy cakes from my childhood. They are slightly different from the ones from home because they are baked a little like a Chelsea bun where as the traditional ones are made in huge slabs. They might not look the same but they certainly taste like the lardy cakes I know  and love.

As the name suggests they are traditionally made with lard but you can just as easily use a vegetable fat alternative such as Trex if you like.

If you fancy having a go at making these, do it on a day when you have plenty of time as they need to rest and prove a couple of times. They are not difficult to make, however.

Ingredients

• 1lb strong white flour
• 1 level tsp salt
• 1 oz lard or Trex
• 2oz caster sugar
• 1 oz fresh yeast or 1 sachet of fast acting dried yeast
• 0.5 Pt warm milk
• 4oz raisins
• 4oz currants
• 4oz sultanas

• 6oz lard
• 6oz soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice

Method

1. Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl
2. Rub in the lard.
3. Mix together in a jug the sugar, yeast and warm milk
4. Make a well in the flour mixture and mix in the milk to a smooth paste
5. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with oiled cling film.
6. Put somewhere warm and allow to prove for 30 minutes.
7. Knead in the fruit and allow to rest for 10 minutes, covered with the cling film.
8. Mix together the sugar, lard and spice.
9. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle.
10. Spread the filling mixture over 2/3 of the dough.
11. Fold the unfilled 1/3 into the middle and then bring the lower filled 1/3 over the top.
12. Roll out into a rectangle again then roll into a swiss roll shape.
13. Cut into 1 inch chunks, turn them over and place swirl side up into a lined 10 inch square cake tin.
14. Cover with oiled cling film and allow to prove for 40 minutes
15. Bake in a preheated oven (200C/180C fan/ gas mark 6) for 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes and cover with foil if it is browning too much.
16. Remove from the oven and turn out immediately onto a cooling rack.

Chai Tea Sponge Cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

I think I have probably mentioned before that I am real caffeine addict. I love proper barista coffee and if I have a latte I always ask for an extra shot! Unlike my son, who at 14 still doesn’t drink tea, coffee or even fizzy drinks, I have been drinking coffee since I was probably 2 or 3 years old.

I distinctly remembering Mum making me milky coffee in the gas stove due to a power cut during the General Strikes of the 70s. Yes, I’m old enough to remember Mum wearing platform shoes and mile wide shirt collars. I was more of a Bay City Rollers fan and wore my tartan trousers with my yellow wellies and my Donnie Osmond flat cap! Well, I was only 3!

Tea drinking has been a relatively recent discovery for me and I blame my Grandad for it. My Grandad was a character and a half but unfortunately we lost him 2 years ago to cancer. Grandad was a big tea drinker and being an ex-bricklayer, he liked it strong and sweet. To help my Nan out and give her a bit of a break I used to drive home to Worcester from North Wales. I would pack the car with all the cakes and soups that Grandad had requested during the week, add my son and my dogs and off we shot.

This me and Grandad before he took ill

As Grandad didn’t sleep well, he would quite often call for me in the night. Sometimes he just wanted a bit of company, sometimes for me to rub his back, sometimes he wanted a bit more morphine but usually he just wanted a cup of tea. Invariably by the time I had made it he had either nodded back off or had forgotten that he had asked for it in the first place! So my tea drinking started then! Well, waste not,want not!

I have seen plenty of recipes for Earl Grey Tea cupcakes but I thought I would have a go at making a Chai Tea Sponge cake. It was a bit of an experiment but I am happy to say it was a complete success!

Ingredients:

Sponge:

150ml milk (semi-skimmed or whole)

5 chai tea bags

1tbs instant chai latte powder (optional)

110g butter

225g caster sugar

2 free range eggs

125g self-raising flour

120g plain flour

Buttercream:

125g butter

250g icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line 2 8 inch sandwich tins.
2. Put milk into a saucepan and heat gently until the milk just comes to the boil.
3. Add the tea bags, cover and allow to steep for at least 30 mins.
4. Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the latte powder if you want a stronger flavour.
5. Beat in the beaten eggs
6. Remove the tea bags (making sure to squeeze them!)
7. Add the flours and milky tea  until the mixture is smooth.
8. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.
9. Turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
10. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until it is light and fluffy then use to sandwich the cakes together.
11. Dust with icing sugar.
12. Slice and enjoy with, you’ve guessed it, a cup of tea!

Enjoy!

Love

Ali xx