Right bonnie lasses, gather round my wee coal fire, for now is about the
time that you'll be wishing to get the Black Bun ready for the Hogmanay,
aye a wee traditional recipe, och!!! there are others, but you'll be
wanting one that dances upon your lovely palettes sae finely so.
So, a treat which is often eaten at the end of the year at Hogmanay. But it
needs to be made several weeks in advance so that it can mature. Dinna be
put off by the formidable list of ingredients. It is relatively easy to
make.
Ingredients for Pastry Case:
12 oz plain flour (3 cups)
3 oz lard (6 tablespoons)
3 oz butter or margarine (6 tablespoons)
(Note that if you don't want to use lard, increase the butter/margarine by
an equivalent amount)
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
Method:
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 five 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.
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