Outlander Cast Blog Exclusive – Annette Badland’s (Mrs. Fitz!) Favorite Holiday Recipe

 

This is a traditional recipe for a treat which is often eaten at the end of the year at Hogmanay. But it needs to be made several weeks in advance so that it can mature. Indeed, it can be kept for up to six months if kept in an airtight container. Don’t be put off by the formidable list of ingredients. It is relatively easy to make and every cook has his or her own variations on the ingredients. 

Photo courtesy: Hi Cookery

• 3/4 pound of flour
• 4 ounces butter
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 beaten egg to bind

• 1 pound of flour
• 2 pounds of Valencia raisins or other big, plump dark raisin, preferably organic (to avoid the taste of the sulfate preservatives)
• 2 pounds of dried currants (substitute golden raisins / sultanas if you have trouble getting currants. You may like to mix in some other dried fruit, such as cranberries, but this will not be strictly traditional.)
• 6 ounces almonds
• 6 ounces mixed candied fruit peel
• 6 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 ounce ground ginger
• 1/2 ounce ground cloves or cinnamon
• 1 small teaspoon bicarbonate of soda / bread soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons black treacle / blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon brandy or whiskey
• Enough beaten egg or buttermilk to moisten the mixture

• First, to make the crust: sift the 3/4 pound of flour together with the salt, cut in the butter (you may want to do this in a food processor), stir in the baking powder, and add enough beaten egg to make a pliable dough.  Roll it out thin (saving enough to use to cover the cake) and use it to line a large greased pan – a 9-inch springform is ideal. Press the pastry dough well into the pan, pushing it into edges and corners. If there are any tears or joins, brush them lightly with water and seal them well. Leave about 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch of pastry at the top of the pan to seal the top crust to.
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• For the filling: clean the dried fruit if necessary, and if the almonds have not been blanched and chopped already, do that yourself. Chop the peel finely (it’s rarely chopped finely enough right out of the package).
• Sift the flour. Mix the fruit with half the flour and the granulated sugar; add the allspice, black pepper, and other spices.
• Sift the remainder of the flour with the baking soda and cream of tartar and stir into the fruit mixture. Add the brandy/whiskey and beaten egg or buttermilk, using just enough to moisten the mixture. (It should not be too soggy or batter-y, so go slowly at this stage so you don’t overdo it.)
• Pack this mixture into the prepared, pastry-lined pan. Flatten and even out the surface. Moisten the outer edges of the pastry with water: apply the pastry top and seal it to the edges.
• With a skewer, make four holes through the top of the pastry, right down to the bottom of the pan. Use a fork to prick the surface of the top crust all over. Brush it with the beaten egg.
• Bake the cake at 350F for approximately three hours. Test for doneness by thrusting a heated skewer down the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack in the pan or tin. When cold, turn out carefully onto a place covered with a piece of foil. Use more foil to wrap: seal into a cake tin or airtight plastic container. Keep for at least ten days in a cool dry place before attempting to cut the cake, or it will fall apart.

Black Bun will keep for weeks, even months, when kept cool and dry in a sealed container.

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