EIRA'S CARDIGANSHIRE BOILED PINEAPPLE CAKE
1/4 lb (125g) butter
1 lb (500g) mixed fruit (I use the Tesco mix with apricots and cranberries in)
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
2 eggs
1 cup (7 oz/200g) plain flour
1cup (6 oz) sugar
(I normally double these amounts and make two at a time, one to freeze or gift. That way you don't have half a tin of crushed pineapple hanging around in the fridge.)
Place butter, pineapple, sugar and fruit in a heavy-bottomed saucepan to melt over a low heat. Add Bicarb and spices and mix well. Bring to boil and boil for 3 minutes. Cool. Add lightly beaten eggs and fold in sieved flour. Cook in over 140 deg. C (275 deg F/Gas mark 1) for 1 1/3 hours, then at 150 deg. for 1 1/2 hours. (I got away with 1 1/2 hours at 140 yesterday, so experiment). I prodded it with my trusty BBQ skewer to check and see if the cake was firm, and yes it was.)
Well, I got the grocery shop done yesterday morning as I needed to leave the week free for outings as my friend Gay is here from Dorset. We started off as penpals over 50 years ago and used to walk in the Purbecks and record wild flowers, butterflies, moths and pubs!!
In the afternoon I baked two cakes (as above), then thought I would be short on time the rest of the week so made the (Exploding!) Mars Bar Muffins for next-door's kids (as a thankyou for changing my filter yet again as the mud coming from the blocked pipe was something else. Looking at it now, it needs doing again. They are meant to be changed every 3 mths or so, not 3 weeks!) The Exploding bit in the title is down to putting too much Mars Bar in -anything near the surface of the muffin explodes all over the cases/baking tin. I was tired by then but still had the tea to make. Corned Beef Pasties for Keith and the freezer. I used cheese pastry, chunks of tinned corned beef, and diced cooked carrot and potato. The remainder of the latter are in bags in the freezer for when I need them. By then all I wanted to do was sit down, but before I could wash up yet more baking things, I had to make room in the rack and had to dry a huge pile first. Ah well.
I even did my first bit of Christmas shopping yesterday. Nothing like being organized is there? It was something domestic for Tam (I asked her what she needed).
My local chap came and cut the grass for me and said about the hedge. Like me, he puts nature first so will let the shrub which is currently flowering do so before he tackles it. The insects love it and I even have Hornets along that stretch of hedge!
I have just started re-reading Cats in the Belfry by Doreen Tovey. Nice light reading and all I can say is I'm glad I have half-Siamese kitten-cats and not fully Siamese. She wrote books about their donkeys too, but I cannot read them as they so clearly knew diddly-squat about donkeys or even how to put a headcollar on and I find them too annoying to read.
I should have done my daily walk when I came down at 5 a.m. this morning as it is now raining. Ah well, I will just have to get wet. I have an after-tea drive to collect Gay from Llanidloes as her coach doesn't get in until 7.15 p.m. Going home I will be out early as I think it gets in Llani about 9.30 a.m.
If I go quiet this week, it's because we are busy, so don't worry.
