Last week I spied a column in the Country Life on Lardy Cake, which was timely because here at the farm we have become worryingly addicted to this old fashioned cake.
Ok, I admit, the name alone is enough to put anyone off…Or worry about the side effects of consumption. Lardy Cake…Mmm not very healthy! But, with latest nutritional research revealing that animal fat (butter/lard) and fatty oils like coconut are actually good for us and that it’s the fake stuff we need to be avoiding (margarine rest in peace) then maybe the Lardy cake is actually a cake worth revisiting?
A Guilty Pleasure-Lardy Cake
Leaving health aside, the TASTE of lardy cake is dance-on-the spot delicious.
I have seen it convert people, previous non-believers, to the side of regular Lardy Cake consumption.
Fresh out of the oven it reminds me of a danish pastry mixed a croissant and a fruit loaf. In fact it does hold some similarities in the make to a pastry…Layers of fat are sandwiched between the dough and flattened, then repeated several times, creating horizontal layers of flaky, doughy deliciousness that once bitten into make you pause and go mmmmmmm….
At this point you may be ready to give Lardy cake a go.
In which case I point you towards the recipe by Paul Hollywood on the BBC food website. You’ll need Strong White Flour, salt, yeast, lard, water, butter, dried fruit & soft brown sugar and about 2-3 hours set aside for Lardy Cake making but it’s well worth it.
Wife just made one absolutely bang on been eating it for 70 years home made is far better than shop bought sorry can’t stop heading to kitchen lol
i never tasted lardy cake,because i never found it on bakery and pâtisserie here in brazil,if i would found it,certainly i never would lost opportunity to taste this british delicacy that figures among the delicious sweet food all over the world!!!