ECCLES CAKE

Ingredients
Pastry:

•2 ½ cups plain white flour
/TEPUNG GANDUM
•1 cup softened butter/ GOLDEN CHURN BUTTER
•1 egg
•Pinch of salt
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•very cold water
Filling:

Traditional Recipes from Old England

•1 cup dried currants
•¼ cup soft brown sugar
•2 tbs softened butter
•Pinch nutmeg
•milk for glazing
•white sugar for sprinkling
Method
Pastry:

1.Mix together flour and salt.
2.Rub in butter to make a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs.
3.Beat egg and add lemon juice and enough cold water to make up half a cup of liquid.
4.Mix well.
5.Stir a little of the liquid into the flour mixture until it becomes a rather sticky dough. You may not need all the liquid.
6.Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Filling:

1.Place currants in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 5 minutes.
2.Drain currants and put to one side.
3.Cream butter with sugar and add currants.
4.Stir in nutmeg.
Put it together:

1.Remove pastry from fridge and roll out quite thickly, about 1/8 inch (8mms).
2.Use a 3 ½ inch (9cms) cookie cutter or a glass, and cut rounds.
3.Place 2 generous teaspoons of filling in the middle of the round of pastry, and bring up edges to make a little pouch. Pinch to seal. Don’t worry about it being untidy.
4.Turn it over and flatten gently with fingers or a rolling pin to make a round cake. The sealed bit will now be underneath.
5.Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining rounds of pastry.
6.Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
7.With a knife or scissors, gently make 2 cuts in the top of each cake to allow the steam to escape.
8.Bake at 220 C / 425 F for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.
9.Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Variations:

•Add candied peel, grated orange zest or dried apple.
•Add allspice to the nutmeg.