Jason Derbyshire's Christmas Lardy Cake

A non-traditional recipe given a festive twist by Jason Derbyshire.

One to lust over, how could we not include this? Chosen for its delicious Christmas spice flavours, it may not be as beautiful as some of your other Christmas bakes but we think it will be the first one to disappear! We tried it here at the Mill and the Millers gave it five stars!

You Will Need:

500g (1lb) Strong White Bread Flour

10g dried yeast

300ml tepid water

100g (4 oz) Lard

100g (4 oz) Butter

100g (4 oz) Raisins & Cranberries mix

100g (4 oz) Sultanas

80g (3oz) Currants

1 ½ tsp Mixed spice

100g (4oz) Vanilla sugar

100g (4oz) Demerara sugar

100g Caster Sugar

For the Glaze:

3 oz Butter melted

Method (By Hand)

1. Blend the yeast with tepid water and stir until dissolved. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in one third of the lard.
2. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeasted water. Mix together to make dough that leaves the side of the bowl clean (add more water if needed).
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured work top and knead until smooth, shiny and elastic, for about 10 minutes. Place in a buttered bowl and then place into a plastic bag and tie the handles together. Leave in a warm room for about 1-1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work top and roll out a rectangle about 5 mm thick. Dot one third of the remaining lard and one third of the butter over the middle third of the dough surface. Sprinkle over one third of the fruit, and sugar.

5. 

   Fold the dough in to three, folding the bottom third up and the top third down. Give a quarter turn, then repeat process twice more using up the remaining ingredients.
6. For the tin grease a 20x 25cm baking tin. Mix the vanilla sugar and the Demerara sugar together and sprinkle all over the inside of the tin. Roll the dough out to fit the tin. Place into a plastic bag and tie the handles together. Leave in a warm room for about 30-45 minutes until it rises. Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter.
7. Preheat the oven to 220 oC/425Of/Gas mark 7 Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Turn out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper to cool.

Added by: NaomiS