Scottish Currant Slab Recipes

CURRANT SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
• With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in currants. Make a well in center; add buttermilk and egg, and stir just until combined (do not overmix).
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead 5 or 6 times. Pat into an 8-inch disk. With a floured 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Reroll and cut scraps once.
• Transfer to baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Brush rounds with milk; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FRUIT SLICE (FLY CEMETERY)

Steps:

• Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (or 160°c for a fan assisted oven or Gas Mark 4) and grease a 20cm by 28cm baking tray with a little butter. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using your fingers, rub the flour and butter together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar before adding the egg. Mix until combined, adding a teaspoon of cold water as required and knead into a soft pastry dough.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge to cool and firm up, whilst preparing the filling.
• In a bowl mix the currants, sugar, butter and mixed spice until combined.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll to 0.5cm thickness and cut into two large rectangles, about the size of your tray. Place on pastry rectangle onto your pre-greased tray.
• Spoon the currant mixture evenly onto the pastry on the baking tray, leaving a small gap around the edges. Wet the edges with a little water. Place the other sheet of pastry on top of the currants and gently press the edges together with your fingers, before finishing with a fork.
• Brush the top pastry with a little milk or beaten egg, before pricking a few holes on the top of the pastry
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until a light golden brown colour.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little sugar on top to finish. Once completely cool, cut into squares or slices of your desired size.

MOM'S CURRANT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat. Stir in molasses. In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Stir in the cream mixture, then the currants. Add the dry ingredients and beat to combine.
• Pour into prepared pan, and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

FRUIT SLICE/SLAB AKA FLEA CEMETERY

Steps:

• Make the pastry by sifting flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add butter and shortening/margarine and using your fingertips mix together till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. This may take a little while as this makes a lot of pastry, stick in there and it will all come together. Stir in the sugar then add the beaten egg. Mix together until the ingredients bind together making a soft dough. Knead the dough lightly till smooth then wrap in cling and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Meanwhile make the filling by placing currants, mixed spice and sugar in a large pan and cover with just enough cold water to cover the currants and no more. Bring this to the boil and simmer gently for no more than 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the custard powder paste stirring until the fruit mixture has thickened slightly, it will thicken even more when cold.
• Preheat your oven to Gas mark 3/170oC. Grease a 18cm x 30cm swiss roll tin and line with non-stick baking paper, although mine was ok without it.
• Divide pastry in 2 and roll out one half on a lightly floured surface and line the tin with it, pressing the pastry over the base and sides of the tin. Brush the edges with a little water.
• Spoon in the fruit mixture, spreading it evenly over the base, packing it down well. Roll out the remaining pastry to a rectangle larger than the tin and lay this over the filling and pat down lightly.
• Using a sharp knife trim away excess pastry from the edges and crimp the edges for decoration. Cut 2 slits in the centre of the pie and bake in the oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden. Sprinkle with caster sugar when hot then leave to cool and serve warm or cold in slices.
• Optional topping: Instead of the sugar you can cover it with white glace icing. It must be a thick mixture applied in a thick layer to the pie when it is cold.

SCOTTISH CURRANT SLAB

Steps:

• For the pastry:.
• Sift the flour and salt together. Rub in the butters. Stir in the sugar, then add the egg, mixing to a soft dough.
• Knead dough until smooth. Cover with cling film and chill for 20-30 minutes.
• For the filling:.
• Put the currants, spice and sugar into a large pan and add enough cold water to JUST cover the fruit.
• Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and simmer gently for no more than 5 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Gradually add the custard paste, stirring until the fruit mixture thickens slightly (it will thicken more when cool).
• Preheat the oven to Gas 3. Grease and line a 30x18cm Swiss roll tin.
• Divide the pastry into half.
• Roll out the pastry and use to line the tin, pressing pastry over the base and the sides. Lightly brush the top edges with water.
• Spoon the fruit mixture into pastry case, spread evenly and pack well.
• Roll out the remaining pastry, slightly larger than the tin. Lay over the filling and pat down.
• Trim away the excess pastry and crimp the edges. Cut 2 slits into the middle of the pie.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes. Sprinkle the top with caster sugar while pastry is still warm.
• Serve hot or cold.

IRISH CURRANT AND RAISIN CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°.
• 2. Stir together the 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• 3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, beating until smooth.
• 4. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in half the flour mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Beat in the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture.
• 5. Give the batter a final mix with the rubber spatula.
• 6. Toss the currants and raisins with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and fold them into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• 7. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and deep gold and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
• 8. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes, then invert the cake onto a rack and remove the pan and paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and cool completely.
• Storage: Wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature, or double-wrap and freeze for longer storage.