Lardy cake

In a large mixing bowl, combine the white bread flour with 2 tsp salt, and rub in around 50g lard until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

In a jug, mix the fast-action dried yeast, warm milk and beaten eggs, then add to the flour and salt mixture until it forms a soft dough. Dust a surface with flour, then knead the dough for around 10 minutes before returning it to the mixing bowl. Cover with cling film, and leave in a warm dark place to prove for around 1 hour, until it’s doubled in size.

Add the currants, sultanas, dried apricots and cherries to a separate mixing bowl, and pour hot tea over the fruit. Let the fruit soak for around 45 minutes.

Grease a cake tin with leftover lard. Drain off any excess tea from the fruit and mix the dried fruit with the remaining 90g lard, mixed spice and golden caster sugar.

Roll the dough out to a 40 x 20cm rectangle, then spread half of the dried fruit and lard mixture over the surface of the dough. With the 20cm end facing you, fold the top third of the dough and fold the bottom third of the dough to overlap and seal in the fruit.

Turn the dough by a quarter, then roll it out to around the same size as before, and spread the dough with the remainder of the fruit and lard mixture. Fold as before and turn over.

Place the dough into the greased tin, and press down to shape it to fit. Cover with cling film, and leave to prove for a further 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Heat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Uncover the dough and bake for around 1 hour or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Mix icing sugar with 1 tsp water to create a watery consistency. Drizzle over the cake and dust with any remaining caster sugar. Serve warm for afternoon tea.

Tips & tricks

The best approach to making this cake is not to rush. Whilst it’s a fairly involved process with a lot of lardy cake ingredients, it’ll be worth the effort for a special afternoon tea occasion. When creating the dough, make sure you keep a close eye on the consistency. Add the warm milk mixture gradually so you can judge whether more or less of the liquid mixture is needed. If it’s looking a little dry, add a bit more milk and if it’s looking too wet, you can sprinkle in some more flour.

How to serve it

A lardy cake is best served warm alongside a fresh pot of tea. For more inspiration on other bakes to add to your afternoon tea, you can find our host of tea pastry recipes here. And to really elevate the moment, have a read of our helpful guide all about afternoon tea etiquette, including styling inspiration and tips.

Storage

You can keep lardy cake in an airtight container for up to two days, but it’s best enjoyed fresh from the oven.