Heavy Cake - the real thing!
I have seen some sorry examples of Heavy Cake in my time. So this is a bit of a rant! There are NO raising agents in Heavy Cake - and it is definitely NOT called Hevva or anything similar!! There are also NO eggs. I am exceedingly proud of my heritage and my blood often boils at the travesties that are out there pretending to be Heavy Cake.
I am the proud possessor of a signed edition, Cornish cookbook of the 1920s and in it are 4 examples, some using clotted cream - too rich. Some suet - too greasey. I perfected this recipe many years ago and it is just perfect, using the first of those recipes.
Now, you may have noticed that many Cornish recipes use chopped mixed peel and oceans of fruit and Heavy Cake is no exception. Our love of fruit in recipes is a throw back from when the Phoenicians visited Cornwall. They were from the Eastern Mediterranean [about where Lebanon is now] and a great nation of Seafarers and Traders. Over 2000 years ago they visited our shores to export the tin. They must have brought over the Saffron too. In the coming weeks and months you will see other examples of their influence.
If you see italics I will be quoting the book.
1 1/2lb of Plain Flour
4 oz butter
4 oz lard
pinch of salt.
"Don't put the butter and lard too fine in the flour". So just roughly rub the fat into the flour!
Add: 1lb currants [or the dreaded 500 gr] - never anything but currants
4 or 5 oz chopped mixed peel
Castor sugar to taste. I use about 4 oz.
Combine with a scant half pint of cold water. Bring together and tip onto a floured surface and roughly roll out, then roll up. Placing the roll back into the bowl for between 1 - 2 hours. "light and shaley"
After that time, return to a floured surface, make into a round and flatten then start to roll out. While it is still small enough for you to lift, transfer to a lightly greased heavy based baking sheet.
Then continue to roll out to about half inch thick, maybe a little less.
Then, as the bottom picture, make a crisscross pattern across the top, resembling a fishing net. Dredge with castor sugar and place in a
preheated oven of about 200 deg C. But it depends on the oven. I know my oven and put it in at 195 deg.
Bake for about 30 mins. Cool in the tin for a few minutes then cut in half and slide onto a rack. Cut into portions of your own liking.
Can also be frozen individually.
I am the proud possessor of a signed edition, Cornish cookbook of the 1920s and in it are 4 examples, some using clotted cream - too rich. Some suet - too greasey. I perfected this recipe many years ago and it is just perfect, using the first of those recipes.
Now, you may have noticed that many Cornish recipes use chopped mixed peel and oceans of fruit and Heavy Cake is no exception. Our love of fruit in recipes is a throw back from when the Phoenicians visited Cornwall. They were from the Eastern Mediterranean [about where Lebanon is now] and a great nation of Seafarers and Traders. Over 2000 years ago they visited our shores to export the tin. They must have brought over the Saffron too. In the coming weeks and months you will see other examples of their influence.
If you see italics I will be quoting the book.
1 1/2lb of Plain Flour
4 oz butter
4 oz lard
pinch of salt.
"Don't put the butter and lard too fine in the flour". So just roughly rub the fat into the flour!
Add: 1lb currants [or the dreaded 500 gr] - never anything but currants
4 or 5 oz chopped mixed peel
Castor sugar to taste. I use about 4 oz.
Combine with a scant half pint of cold water. Bring together and tip onto a floured surface and roughly roll out, then roll up. Placing the roll back into the bowl for between 1 - 2 hours. "light and shaley"
Then continue to roll out to about half inch thick, maybe a little less.
Then, as the bottom picture, make a crisscross pattern across the top, resembling a fishing net. Dredge with castor sugar and place in a
preheated oven of about 200 deg C. But it depends on the oven. I know my oven and put it in at 195 deg.Bake for about 30 mins. Cool in the tin for a few minutes then cut in half and slide onto a rack. Cut into portions of your own liking.
Can also be frozen individually.
Thank you. I love all things saffron.
ReplyDeleteLove heavy cake, always have since I was a lad. Never found myself to emotional about people calling it Hevva cake to be honest. Don't stress too much about it.
ReplyDeleteGreat recipes as always, but your attitude stinks.
Keep up the good work but try not alienating people who correctly use metric. You seem happy with degrees Celsius as opposed to Fahrenheit after all.