What have you been trying your hand at?

I used to make a boiled fruitcake more than 30 years ago for 1st H. Must have been good, as I kept the recipe but ditched Ist H.(He was never a DH) Think I'll make one tomorrow. Love all this baking. Regularly make Delia's gingernuts. Would never buy them now.

I've never had a failure with a boiled fruit cake either. Th fat/sugar/fruit/spices/liquid mix doesn't actually boil, just simmers for 20 minutes, cools a bit, then I add the eggs into the saucepan,, stirring well so that they don't cook into streaks, and then the flour' and turn it into the lined loaf tin. I do find that it needs a full hour at least to cook through, maybe 10-15 mins more. Perhaps the centre of Rosenoir's and Daisyboots' loaves was still too damp, and that is why they sank?`

Always test with a skewer!

Or a clean knife, if you don't have a skewer (or can't find it in the chaos of the cutlery drawer)

Ingredient proportions for boiled fruit cake -
4 oz sugar
4 oz magre
1/4 pint liquid (water/orange juice/guinness - whatever)
8 oz dried fruit
simmer 20 mins, cool,

1 beaten egg, stirred in well
8 oz SR flour

1 1/4 hours at 160 degrees C (Fan oven)

Date or cherry variations - 4 oz dates or glace cherries instead of dried fruit. Do not simmer, just heat gently until fat is melted. Dates AND cherries even better.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202005/medium-496872-fd4459ad-5cd3-474c-aebe-31b37f0af933.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202005/medium-789360-3750069b-bfbe-487d-a424-aa7b752ecec6.jpeg

Anyone used to making Welsh cakes? Made some today (eggless) and they’re ok, but a bit squodgy. Should I have cooked them for a bit longer at a lower heat?

Yes, mine are a bit hit and miss. The trick is not to make them too thick.
My neighbour used to pass a big plateful over the fence every St David's Day, then she moved so I had to start making them.
They may finish cooking from the residual heat.
The recipe I use does have an egg in it.

They look very nice Lisagran.

I haven’t any eggs, hence this eggless recipe. Mr L says they’re ok!

Good.

We've had difficulty sourcing eggs too for some reason.

Three times now I’ve made a Thai style soup to use up some of our veg box stuff. Funnily enough swede and parsnip go extremely well with butternut squash! I sauté a lot of chopped onion, then simmer in chicken stock with the swede and parsnip, plus garlic, ginger and red chilli. Butternut squash cooks in the microwave first, so can just scoop it out.

A can of coconut milk at the end, whizz with stick blender in the pan, bingo. We’ve both really enjoyed this for several lunches, very filling. I think it was even tastier when I was running out of chicken stock cubes and added a tub of homemade chicken stock out of the freezer.

Digestive biscuits with grated cheese and apple slices. Delicious.

elegran recipe would be good thanks. Just got back to this thread, thank you.

Wheatmeal digestive biscuit recipe for Brunette.

WHOLEMEAL DIGESTIVES

100g whole-wheat flour
100g medium oatmeal
50g soft brown or caster sugar (but I used ordinary white)
a pinch of salt
100g butter or margarine
1-2 tablespoons milk (skimmed works OK)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/350F/180C. Grease baking trays or add baking paper.
Mix together all of the dry ingredients and rub in the butter to a breadcrumb texture.
Add enough milk to create a moist pastry consistency.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm the mix.

This creates a fairly delicate dough. Roll with great care using a dusting of wholemeal flour on top and underneath to prevent sticking.
When 3mm thick cut into 6-7cm discs re-rolling any trimmings.
Place the discs on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch.
They will swell slightly so don’t overcrowd the trays

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before transferring onto a wire rack. They are best kept in an airtight container and eaten within 2-3 days (but I was still eating them a week later, and they were fine)

Oh thank you so much, will give them a go. Looks easy enough - I hope!

Yes, it was easy. Just use plenty of extra flour when rolling them out, or they will stick to the rolling pin, the board, your fingers - anything!
PS I used bamboo skewers laid each side of the pastry to guide the rolling-pin and keep the thickness even. I think they were less than 3mm thick, so the biscuits were thinner too.

Boiled fruitcake - First time I have used this recipe in over 30years. Had to buy a new cake tin. Mine had to simmer for 3 mins and be cool before mixing without flour etc. No egg in recipe. Can't wait to try it.