Sedgemoor Easter Cake

More Easter baking that I haven´t had time to get round to blogging as my parents were visiting during the Easter hols! I´d never heard of Sedgemoor Easter Cake before but came across this recipe in an old cookbook (I don´t remember which one, either Miss Read´s Country Cooking or Country Cooking) and thought they sounded pretty tasty! Sedgemoor Easter Cake? I hear you cry. I don´t know why it´s called Easter Cake as it actually looks more like a biscuit!Whether you choose to call it a cake or a biscuit, it´s pretty darn good either way! Sedgemoor Easter Cakes originate from the southwest of England and were very traditional on Easter Sunday where they were given in threes to represent the Holy Trinity.


Here´s the recipe I used:

Ingredients (makes about 12)

4 oz plain flour
2 oz butter (at room temperature)
2 oz caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg
2 oz currants
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp brandy (I didn´t have any brandy so used Amaretto, which was just as tasty!)

Method

1. Rub butter into flour with your fingertips as if making pastry.
2.Add sugar, currants, spice and cinnamon and combine well.
3. Beat egg with the brandy (or in this case Amaretto) and stir into dry ingredients till well mixed.
4. I found the dough quite sticky so kept adding a little flour till it appeared to be the right consistency.
5. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick, using a round biscuit cutter cut out biscuits and place on greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC (350ºF) for 15-20 mins, depending on your oven.

I really enjoyed these biscuits and will definitely be making them again. Next year I also want to try making my first Simnel Cake as I love marzipan and will be able to eat marzipan next year!