Part 0800.0005

[Singalingz]

A friend gave me this recipe it is a traditional recipe for when hens are off the lay because it is egg free. The name puts people off a bit...until they taste it. It is from a really old book of recipes so we assume that flour means plain flour and sugar caster sugar, and it has worked well so far. It doesn't have to be sultanas and raisins either today I made it with whatever dried fruit I found in the cupboard, dates, apricots, raisins and cherries and it is very tasty again. My hens are laying well so I shouldn't be making eggs free cakes we can't eat them fast enough, but I love this cake and I thought that this is the place for a cake for when hens are off their lay, I refuse to buy eggs. I hope some of you enjoy it.

 

Norfolk vinegar cake

 

8 oz butter (I mixed the butter with some veg shortening that I had left over and it tastes fine)

1 lb flour

8 oz sugar

8 oz raisins

8 oz sultanas

8 fluid oz milk

2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I didn't have cider vinegar so I used white wine vinegar instead, worked fine)

1 teaspoon bicarb blended with 1 tablespoon milk.

 

Set oven to 350Farenheit.  Grease and line a 9 inch (i used an 8 ") tin.  In a bowl rub butter and flour tog until you get breadcrumb type mix.  Stir in sugar raisins and sultanas. Pour milk into a jug add the vinegar and bicarb. Add to cake mixture and stir well.  Put into the tin and bake for 30 mins. Turn down oven to 300 and bake for another 1hr to 1hr15mins or so. If it's browning too quick, put foil over the top of the cake. Check it's done when lovely brown colour and when knife comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin before turning out onto wire rack.

The first time I made it I forgot to start it at 350 and did the whole one and a half hours at 300 and it came out perfectly as well.

[Alis girls]

I must be tired as I looked at this and thought it was to feed to the hens to encourage egg production.