This is another recipe from my Grandma's handwritten recipe book. I love currant slice or fly pie but this version has rum in it which is synonymous with Cumberland and indeed the port of Whitehaven.
As usual there were very few instructions as my Grandma was an experienced baker so didn't write much down except the ingredients and bake in a moderate oven!
I have made this on a baking tray (no frills) as there was no tin size mentioned in the recipe and it worked really well with lovely crisp pastry top and bottom. No soggy bottoms here!!!!!
It is a lovely buttery pastry (my recipe) filled with currants, sugar, butter and rum! Perfect for afternoon tea.
Start making the pastry by putting the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor and pulse until you have fine breadcrumbs.
Alternatively rub the butter into the flour and sugar by hand until you have fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and combine in the food processor or by hand until the pastry forms a ball.
Wrap in cling film or similar and transfer to fridge to keep cool for at least 30 minutes.
Mix together the currants, butter, sugar and rum in a medium sized bowl.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (160 fan) and butter the base of a baking tray or swiss roll tin.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out into a large rectangle then cut two rectangles approximately 28 x 16cm each.
Place one of the pastry rectangles on the prepared baking tray, then spread the filling evenly over the pastry leaving a 1cm border around the edges.
Brush milk around the edges of the pastry.
Next place the second pastry rectangle on the top, seal using a fork around the edges and make some steam vents with the fork along the top of the pastry.
Brush with milk and then bake in the preheated oven for 25 mins.
Leave to cool before cutting into slices.
Grandma's Cumberland Currant Cake
Sarah's servings: 8
Sarah's skill: Medium
Baking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
Pastry:
200g Plain flour
45g Icing sugar
100g Cold cubed unsalted butter
1 Large egg
Filling:
300g Currants
45g Butter
65g light brown sugar
2 Tbsp Rum
2 Tbsp Milk
Method:
Pastry Put the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor and pulse until you have fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively rub the butter into the flour and sugar by hand until you have fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and combine in the food processor or by hand until the pastry forms a ball.
Wrap in cling film or similar and transfer to fridge to keep cool for at least 30 minutes.
Filling In a medium sized bowl mix the currants, butter, sugar and rum together.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (160 fan) and butter the base of a baking tray or swiss roll tin.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out into a large rectangle then cut two rectangles approximately 28 x 16cm each.
Place one of the pastry rectangles on the prepared baking tray.
Spread the filling evenly over the pastry leaving a 1cm border around the edges.
Brush milk around the edges of the pastry and place the second pastry rectangle on the top and seal using a fork around the edges then make some steam vents with the fork along the top of the pastry.
Brush the top with milk then bake in the preheated oven for 25 mins.
Leave to cool before cutting into slices.
Sarah's extra slice.....
The Swiss roll tin I used was
The pastry brush I used was