Teisen Lap

Photo © Rob Jones

This is a deliciously moist light fruit cake which seldom lasted long out of the oven, mainly because as kids we'd stand in line waiting for it to come out of the AGA, and then polish it off with a glass of full cream milk.

It is best eaten while still warm.  We also called it Drawer cake, but that's not the proper translation, and anyhow there seem to be so many different translations and recipes for it - Moist, Slab etc.  

But the name doesn't really matter does it if it tastes fantastic.  This recipe unusually calls for some glacé cherries to be hurled into the mix.

Ingredients
12oz/375g Self Raising Flour
5oz/150g Margerine
6oz/180g Sugar
8oz/240g Mixed Dried Fruit
handful of Glace Cherries
2 Eggs from Welsh hens
5floz/150ml Milk
Pinch of Ginger
Pinch of Nutmeg

Method

Rub the margarine into the flour.  Add the fruit, chopped glacé cherries and sugar.  Beat the eggs into the milk and add to the mixture.  Sprinkle in the nutmeg and ginger and mix well.  The mixture should drop off the spoon easily. Pour into a shallow tin, and bake in a low oven (250F or 130C).  You'll need to watch it to make sure it doesn't burn on the top.   Remove from the oven and consume instantly! (Although take care if it's very hot)

Serving Suggestion

It's lovely with a glass of creamy milk, or perhaps some Barley Wine. One alternative is to steep the fruit in Barley Wine (and a teabag) to soak up the flavour.  But this is naughty.

RJ