Faced with a recipe called ‘Cacen BythYn Methu’ (The cake that never fails), I was intrigued to find out if this was the philosopher’s stone of baking. Had I hit the jackpot for the ultimate cake?
Too much sugar?
I took one look at the
amount of sugar in this recipe and decided to not to add any at all. I’m going
along in Grandma Abson’s tradition of following your instincts when it comes to
baking. For me, the amount of dried fruit alongside the pineapple would seem to
make it sweet enough. I used the pineapple juice to make the mixture a little
softer. But, if you feel the need for a sugar kick, the original recipe says
60z (175g) soft brown sugar. Add it to the fruit mixture when you are melting
the butter in the pan. Here’s my version:
Cacen BythYn Methu (heb siwgr)
4 0zs (110g) glazed cherries
4 ozs (110g) butter
2 eggs
1 small can (220g) pineapple (crushed)
12 ozs (350g) mixed dried fruit
8 ozs (220g) self-raising flour (sifted)
1.
Preheat the oven to 170C, 325 F or Gas Mark 3).
2.
Chop the cherries (I washed and dried them first) and put
them in a large pan with the pineapple (chopped or crushed into smaller
pieces), butter and dried fruit.
3.
Heat to melt the butter but DO NOT BOIL.
4.
Leave this mixture to cool.
5.
Beat in the sifted flour and eggs.
6.
Add enough pineapple juice to make the mixture less stiff.
7. Put in a lined baking tin (I used a 20 cms x 30 cms tin). Bake in the oven for one hour until firm. Remove and place the tin on a rack to cool before removing the cake from the tin.
Meryl’s other tips
·
I’ve tried this recipe adding other types of dried fruit such
as cranberries and apricots in the mix and a chopped apple. They all worked
well. It’s a very versatile recipe.
·
Use a thin cake tester to stick in the cake
and check if the cake is baked. I checked after 55 minutes. There should be no
trace of the mixture when the cake tester is taken out, but if traces of the
mixture remain, then it needs a little more baking time.
A recipe for success
I ‘ve never made a fruit
cake with pineapple before but it turned out very well. I wrapped it up and
took it on a walk with my Railway walking group friends when we tackled the renamed
Suffragette line (formerly Overground) in north London. It proved a real treat
– perfect for a picnic too!
