Hey everyone!
Sorry about the delay in postings. I moved back down to Dunedin and got very very distracted by Vampire Diaries (*coughstefancough*). When Miss Lucy, my flatmate moved in she brought with her some of her Nana's amazing sultana cake. Oh it was so good. I am pretty sure I ate the majority of it. It was topped with slivered almonds. Yes I know sultana cake isn't a flash work of art with twirls and swirls of delicately placed icing magic but it is an old classic and classics, although sometimes boring should be respected. Anyway I decided to try to make some myself as I was bored and not wanting to do an assignment due in two days. I figured the Edmonds Cookbook would be a good place to find a sultana cake recipe. Old ladies like that book. So I used Lucy's new edition to make the cake featured today. It wasn't until I opened by 1980 edition that I found the recipe was slightly different in a few departments. Old ladies love the older editions. Next time i'll make that version and see how the two compare. The cake is still cooking as I write this and the hallway is filled with the most delicious smell ever.
So what you will need:
2 cups sultanas
250g butter, chopped into cubes
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
3 cups standard plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Put the sultanas in a sauce pan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the sultanas well and then add the butter. In a bowl beat the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes. Once butter is fully melted, add sultana mixture and essence to the egg and sugar bowl. Mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined. Spoon mixture into a 23cm lined cake tin. Bake at 160 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave for ten minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Then of course how long you wait until you gobble it up is up to you :)
The original recipe in the new book
New recipe in older book. How does this work?
Anyway here is the cake in pictures:
So boil your sultanas and preheat the oven to 160 degrees C
Drain your sultanas and add the butter
Line a cake tin (or in my case two as they were both tiny 20cm ones)
Pour the sultana and butter mix into the egg and sugar mix and mix well
Add sifted flour and baking powder
Mix mix mix
Taste test . . .
Pour the mix into the tin(s) evenly and pop in the oven for 1 hour (if a big cake - keep an eye on them for 40 minutes if it is a smaller one)
Clean everything up . . .
Bam! and they are done
Wait 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack or tea towel
and serve! Nom nom, btw this cake has the tastiest (and richest) batter ever. Do try it.
Now time to make a cup of tea and have another piece of cake!
Bye!
Sorry about the delay in postings. I moved back down to Dunedin and got very very distracted by Vampire Diaries (*coughstefancough*). When Miss Lucy, my flatmate moved in she brought with her some of her Nana's amazing sultana cake. Oh it was so good. I am pretty sure I ate the majority of it. It was topped with slivered almonds. Yes I know sultana cake isn't a flash work of art with twirls and swirls of delicately placed icing magic but it is an old classic and classics, although sometimes boring should be respected. Anyway I decided to try to make some myself as I was bored and not wanting to do an assignment due in two days. I figured the Edmonds Cookbook would be a good place to find a sultana cake recipe. Old ladies like that book. So I used Lucy's new edition to make the cake featured today. It wasn't until I opened by 1980 edition that I found the recipe was slightly different in a few departments. Old ladies love the older editions. Next time i'll make that version and see how the two compare. The cake is still cooking as I write this and the hallway is filled with the most delicious smell ever.
So what you will need:
2 cups sultanas
250g butter, chopped into cubes
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
3 cups standard plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Put the sultanas in a sauce pan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the sultanas well and then add the butter. In a bowl beat the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes. Once butter is fully melted, add sultana mixture and essence to the egg and sugar bowl. Mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined. Spoon mixture into a 23cm lined cake tin. Bake at 160 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave for ten minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Then of course how long you wait until you gobble it up is up to you :)
Anyway here is the cake in pictures:
Beat your eggs and sugar together
Weigh out your butter
Now time to make a cup of tea and have another piece of cake!
Bye!