Old Fashioned Lardy Cake Food

LARDY CAKE

Steps:

• Using a rolling pin, roll out half of the dough into a 16-inch square on a lightly floured work surface. Cover remaining half with plastic; set aside. In a small bowl, combine spices. In a large bowl, combine dried fruit.
• Spread 2 ounces shortening over top of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around perimeter. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons turbinado sugar over shortening. Sprinkle one-fourth of combined spices over sugar. Sprinkle one-fourth of dried fruit over spices. Using the palms of your hands, gently press fruit into dough.
• Fold 4 corners of square into center, creating a smaller square, enclosing filling. Gently press down on dough with rolling pin. Spread 2 ounces shortening over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around perimeter. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons sugar, another one-fourth of spices, and another one-fourth of fruit. Using palms of your hands, gently press fruit into dough; fold dough into thirds.
• Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper; roll dough out into an 11-by-17-inch rectangle. Carefully lifting parchment, transfer to baking sheet. Let stand about 20 minutes.
• Repeat steps 1 through 4 with remaining dough, shortening, turbinado sugar, spices, and dried fruit.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine jam and cognac in a small saucepan. Set over low heat; cook until liquefied. Strain jam, discarding solids. Brush surface of lardy cakes with jam.
• Bake cakes until golden and puffed, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Lardy cake will keep for up to 1 day, wrapped in aluminum foil; reheat cake before serving.

LARDY CAKE

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Rub in 20g/¾oz of the lard using your fingertips until there are no pieces of lard visible.
• Add three-quarters of the water and hand-mix the flour into the water to form a dough. Add as much of the remaining water as you need to get a dough that is soft and leaves the sides of the bowl clean.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Place in a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. This depends on the temperature of the room, but should take 1-2 hours.
• Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 20x50cm/8x20in and about ½cm thick.
• Dot a third of the remaining lard and a third of the butter over the surface of the dough. Scatter over a third of the fruit and a third of the sugar. Fold the top third of the dough down and the bottom third up so that the dough is folded in three and roughly square. Turn the dough a quarter turn. Roll out and repeat the out process twice more, to use up all the lard and fruit.
• Line a 23x23cm/9x9in square loose bottomed tin with baking parchment. Roll out the dough to fit the tin and place it inside. Cover with clingfilm, or place inside a large plastic bag, and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden-brown.
• Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold, with butter.

OLD FASHIONED POUND CAKE 1972

Steps:

• Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease loaf pan. Can line if desired.
• Cream butter and sugar until all granules are dissolved and you no longer feel them between your fingertips.
• Sift the flour and measure.
• Add the salt and mace.
• Sift all together once more.
• Add eggs one at a time, alternating with the flour to the creamed mixture.
• Beat until light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla.
• Pour into prepared greased pan.
• Bake 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.
• Using tester to test.

LARDY CAKE (LARDY BREAD)

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast into 1 cup warm water with the pinch of sugar. Leave until frothy, about 15 minutes.
• Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon lard with 2 knives or pastry blender. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast liquid. Beat with an electric mixer until a dough forms and starts to pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl, adding more water if necessary.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a clean bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Dot 1/3 of the remaining lard over the surface, then sprinkle with 1/3 each of the raisins, currants, orange zest, and sugar. Fold the bottom third of the dough up and then the top third down and give a quarter turn on the work surface. Repeat the process twice more, starting with the rolling.
• Grease an 8x10-inch pan. Roll out the layered dough to fit and place in the pan. Cover and leave in a warm place until puffy, about 30 minutes. Score the top in a criss-cross pattern with a knife.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until well risen and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately or leave to cool on a wire rack.

LARDY CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the flour with 2 tsp salt, then rub in 50g of the lard until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Leave the remaining lard at room temperature to soften.
• In a jug, mix the yeast, milk and eggs together, then add it to the flour, holding back a little liquid. Mix until it forms a soft dough, adding a splash more liquid if it feels too dry, or a little flour if too wet. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 mins, then put it back in the cleaned mixing bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hr.
• Mix the dried fruit in a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Leave to soak for at least 45 mins. Grease a 23cm springform cake tin with a little lard, line the baking parchment and grease the parchment with lard too.
• Drain off any excess tea from the fruit, then mix with the remaining lard, the mixed spice and sugar. Roll the dough out to a 40 x 20cm rectangle. Spread half the dried fruit and lard mixture over the surface. With the shorter end facing you, fold the top third of the dough down into the middle, then fold the bottom third up to overlap, sealing in the fruit. Give the dough a quarter turn, roll it out to around the same size as before and spread the dough with the rest of the lard mixture. Fold as before, then turn the dough over.
• Put the dough into your prepared tin and press it down gently to shape it to fit the tin. Cover with cling film and leave to prove for 30 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Uncover and bake for 55 mins-1 hr or until golden brown and cooked through. Leave to cool for 5 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. Mix the icing sugar with 1 tsp water to make a runny icing, then drizzle over the cake. Sprinkle with more caster sugar. Best serves warm with a warm cup of tea.

OLD FASHIONED POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter. Add sugar to butter and beat until real creamy. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Add flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Blend egg whites into batter.
• Bake in 325F oven for 1 hour.

OLD FASHIONED POUND CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.