Make, bake & love: Chester Cake

My first book MakeBakeLove is finally out this week! I'm so delighted as it's like my blog has come to life. All my favourite baking recipes are finally together in one book! One of my all time favourites is Chester Cake, it always reminds me of when I was small. I could never get enough of it. It is a brilliant cake to bring on your travels too, as it's so filling!

Chester cake is also known as gur cake and was made by bakeries to use up their stale bread. It could be bought cheaply by kids that had skipped school and it would keep them going until dinnertime!

My mother makes the best Chester cake and very kindly rang me at the last minute to let me in on her secret ingredient: two tablespoons of marmalade. I was delighted that she had shared it with me and made the cake, but it just wasn’t the same. It was only then that she revealed her second tip: lemon juice in the icing. Finally, I have it perfected! A good chester cake must be spicy and fruity and not dry. I love the Midleton based company Green Saffron's mixed spice. It's incredibly fresh, I must stock up on it before the Christmas rush as it really brings mince pies and puddings to life!

I like to use different teas when I’m soaking the bread; Earl Grey, chai and cinnamon and liquorice all work really well. I buy the Pukka Teas from Well and Good in Midleton and Natural Choice in Paul Street Shopping Centre.

It's perfectly fine to buy some ready made all butter shortcrust pastry as it'll cut out the whole pastry making step.

Chester Cake

Makes 16 slices

340g good-quality stale white bread

1 pot of strong, cold tea (chai, Earl Grey or normal)

90g plain flour

2 tbsp mixed spice

1 tsp baking powder

225g brown sugar

60g butter

225g sultanas

2 eggs

120ml milk

2 tbsp marmalade

450g shortcrust pastry

For the icing:

juice of 1 lemon

200g icing sugar, sieved

1. Cover the stale bread with the cold tea. Leave to soak for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a rectangular (20.5 cm x 32 cm) baking tin.

3. Squeeze the bread dry by pressing the mixture in a sieve over the sink. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

4. Sieve the flour, mixed spice and baking powder into a bowl, then add the sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

5. Add the sultanas to the bread and mix well, then add to the flour mixture and combine well.

6. Beat the eggs with the milk in a jug, then add the marmalade. Add to the bread and flour and mix well.

7. Roll one half of the pastry to fit into the buttered baking tin. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork.

8. Spread the bread mixture over the pastry. Roll out the other half of the pastry, then cover the bread mixture with it and pinch the edges together to seal. Prick the top with a fork. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until golden. Cover loosely with foil if the pastry is browning too much. Leave to cool on a rack.

9. To make the icing, mix the lemon juice with the sugar until thick. Add more icing sugar or hot water depending on how thick the icing is. Spread generously over the cake and slice once set.