Sultana Cake

A good moist,easy to make, cake that keeps well if it gets the chance. The only snag is you have to remember to soak the fruit overnight !

8 oz sultanas
4 oz butter
6 oz sugar
6 oz SR flour
2 small eggs , beaten
fruit juice, cold tea or water
Chopped nuts if desired

Put the sultanas in a bowl, cover with the liquid and leave to soak overnight. Next day set oven to 350°F, 180° C. or Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 6-7 inch round cake tin. Bring the sultanas and liquid to the boil in a pan . Then strain and mix the fruit whilst hot with the butter in a bowl. Mix in the sugar and eggs, fold in the flour and mix well . Lastly add the chopped nuts . Put in the tin and bake for 30 minutes. Lower the oven to 300°F 150° or Gas Mark 2 and continue baking for a further hour until firm in the centre. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes , then turn out onto a wire rack
Enjoy

Seville Orange Marmalade

SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE 1 (Quick and easy -using Pressure Cooker to soften fruit )

2 lbs Seville Oranges
4 lb Granulated Sugar
2 pints water
2 Lemons

Wash oranges. Squeeze juice and collect pips in muslin bag and tie up. Put water, orange peel, orange juice and pips into pressure cooker and cook on high for 10 mins.( Peel should be very soft )Cool. Squeeze bag of pips to extract maximum pectin . Remove peel, cut up and return to pan.Add juice of lemons and sugar. Boil rapidly until a set is reached(15-20 mins )
Leave to stand a few mins and put in jars.Yield about 6 lbs.

SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE 2

1½lbs Seville Oranges
4 pints water
juice 1 lemon
Sugar

Wash the oranges and cut into halves. Squeeze out juice. Collect pips in a muslin bag. Cut the peel into shreds and put into bowl with bag of pips,orange juice,lemon juice and water.Leave overnight
Transfer to pan and cook gently until peel is soft-about 1½ hours.Remove bag of pips.
Add 1lb of sugar to each pint of liquid and bring to the boil .Boil rapidly until a set is reached -15 -20 mins. Leave to cool a few mins then pot. Yield about 6 lbs
ENJOY !

A FEW NOTES

The second recipe is from Seville. I think perhaps the Barber used it when he wasn't cutting hair or singing .

If no muslin bag is available a J. cloth is a good substitute

A pressure cooker reduces softening time considerably. Peel must be soft before sugar is added because it won't soften after.

For a darker marmalade substitute 1 ounce of treacle for 1 ounce of the sugar .

If a lot of scum forms on the surface of the marmalade as it boils a small piece of butter helps disperse it.

To test for set.Put a spoonful of marmalade on a cold plate.If the surface wrinkles when pushed with the finger it is ready.10 to 15 minutes cooking is usually enough.If it's boiled too much it won't set

I used to have a sugar boiling thermometer but two years ago I happily plunged it into boiling marmalade and to my amazement it came out minus the glass bowl and mercury so I had to throw the lot away I haven't bothered with one since.

When cooked leave the marmalade in the pan until a skin forms -- about 15 minutes then pot in warm jars-- this stops the peel from floating to the top.

Fellow Marmalade Makers have I forgotten anything or have you any more tips?

If all this sounds a bit of a hassle wait until the supermarket has marmalade on offer (this usually coincides with your labelling of your very last jar) and get stocked up .
GOOD LUCK !!