ScarlettBoil and Bake Fruit Cake
March 12th 2008 12:45
Boil and Bake Fruit Cake
About Boil and bake fruit cake
An easy old thing from Ireland that would have been as popular a few hundred years ago as it is now, for its economy, simplicity and exceptional keeping qualities. This is also a great recipe with which to launch kids into the kitchen, setting them on the path of self-reliance, kitchen confidence and cake adoration by virtue of their first, delicious success.
About Allspice
Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, Myrtle pepper, pimento, or newspice, is a spice which is the dried unripe fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant. The name “allspice” was coined by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of several aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Christopher Columbus brought allspice to Spain from the Caribbean, where it got the name “pimienta”, which is Spanish for pepper. Although he was seeking pepper, he had never actually seen real pepper and he thought allspice was it. Its Anglicized name, pimento, is occasionally used in the spice trade today. Before World War II, allspice was more widely used thean it is nowadays. During the war, many trees producing allspice were cut, and production never fully recovered. Most allspice is produced in Jamaica, but some other sources for allspice include Guatemala, Honduras, as well as Mexico. Jamaican allspice is considered to be superior due to its higher oil content, which gives it a more appealing flavour.
Allspice is most commonly sold as whole dried fruits or as a powder. The whole fruits have a longer shelf-life than the powdered product and product a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use. Fresh leaves are also used where available; they are similar in texture to bay leaves and are thus infused during cooking and then removed before serving. Unlike bay leaves, they lose much flavour when dried and stored. The leaves and wood are often used for smoking meats where allspice is a local crop.
Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of Caribbean cuisine. It is used in Caribbean jerk seasoning (the wood is used to smoke jerk in Jamaica, although the spice is a good substitute), in mole sauces, and in pickling; it is also an ingredient in commercial sausage preparations and curry powder. Allspice is also indispensable in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in the Levant where it is used to flavour a variety of stews and meat dishes. In Palestinian cuisine, for example, many main dishes call for allspice as the sole spice added for flavouring. Allspice is commonly used in Great Britain and appears in many dishes, including in cakes. Even in many countries where allspice is not very popular in the household, such as Germany, it is used in large amounts by commercial sausage makers. Allspice is also a main flavour used in barbecue sauces.
Allspice has also been used as a deodorant; 18th century Russian soldiers would put allspice in their boots. Volatile oils found in the plant contain eugenol, a weak antimicrobial agent. Folklore also suggest that allspice provides relief for digestive problems.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6
150 gm / 5¼ oz butter
300 gm / 11 oz sultanas
300 gm / 11 oz currants
180 gm / 6½ oz soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup water
2 eggs, well beaten
150 gm / 5¼ oz plain flour
150 gm / 5¼ oz self-raising flour
1. Heat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
2. Combine butter, sultanas, currants, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and water in a saucepan.
3. Bring to the boil, stirring, then cool.
4. Add eggs and beat well.
5. Sift the 2 flours together, add to the mixture and beat well.
6. Pour into a lightly buttered cake tin of 22 cm /8½ inch diameter.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from tin.
9. Store in an airtight container.
**From “Favourite Food by Jill Dupleix” ** and ““Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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