fenn country apple cake
A recipe I found from the 19th century.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 7 oz plain flour
- 2 oz butter
- 2 oz lard
- 1 egg
For the filling:
- 1½ lb cooking apples
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 oz butter
- 2 oz caster sugar
- 2 rounded tablespoons semolina
- 1 oz currants
- 3 tablespoons black treacle
Instructions
- For the pastry, rub the flour together with the fats and a pinch of salt until it resembles breadcrumbs. Beat in most of the egg (reserving a teaspoon or so for glazing) and add a splash of water or milk until it comes together into a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate until needed, but make sure you leave it at least half an hour. I guess if we're being authentic, leave it in a cool place.
- Peel, core and slice the apples. Put apples, lemon juice and butter in a pan, cover and simmer slowly to pulp. Add sugar and semolina, and bring slowly to the boil. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and leave until completely cold.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C / gas mark 7 (note: I used 200°C in my modern oven - 220 in a 21st century oven would no doubt blacken it before it was cooked).
- Roll out the pastry into two circles and line an eight-inch pie plate with one piece. Spread half the apple in the pastry case. Sprinkle with currants and put in treacle. Add the remaining apple filling. Moisten the edges of the second piece of pastry and cover the pie. Press edges together well and brush top with the reserved egg or a little milk. Bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
Although I always prefer metric measurements, I've presented the ingredients as per the book I used in Imperial. I've added my own pastry recipe as none was given but lard is the right choice here I feel. Excellent eaten hot, just as good cold the next day.