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Eccles Cake
This cake takes its name from the town of Eccles, England.
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/3 cups shortening
About 12 tablespoon water
1 cup currants
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
For pie crust, mix flour and salt, cut in shortening until size of small peas*. Add water gradually as needed. Mold into one ball, reserving small amount for patches. Flatten pie crust with hands until about the size of a pie. Put currants in a pile in the center of the pie crust. Top with sugar. Dot with pieces of margarine.
Fold sides and ends of pie crust into the middle to form a ball again. Roll out carefully with rolling pin, using reserved pie crust to patch areas where ingredients poke through, until 1/4 inch thick throughout. Roll dough out on top of generously floured brown paper, cut from a brown paper bag, for ease of handling. Transfer to cookie sheet (brown paper and all!). Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling. Cut immediately upon removing from oven into squares.
* Baker's hint: You can mix the flour, salt and shortening in bulk and store in a tightly covered container in refrigerator. When you want to use it, scoop out 4 cups to make Eccles cake. You will also be prepared to make pies.
Eccles Cakes
Frozen flaky pastry
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup currants
2 tablespoons mixed candied peel, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of allspice
1 beaten egg white
Sugar to sprinkle
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Stir sugar into melted butter. Add currants, peel, nutmeg and allspice.
Roll out pastry very thinly and cut 6-inch rounds, using a saucer. Heap filling in the middle of each round. (Makes about 8 to 10 cakes - divide the filling between them.) Dampen the edges, draw up the pastry over the filling, pinch together, turn over and flatten with rolling pin until a few currants just show through. Make 3 small cuts on top of each cake. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
