English Buttermilk Cake Recipe

75 g/3 oz butter or margarine

75 g/3 oz lard (shortening)

450g/1 lb/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
100 g/4 oz/0.5 cup caster (superfine) sugar
175 g/6 oz/1 cup chopped mixed (candied) peel
100g/4 oz raisins
30 ml/2 tbsp marmalade

250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
5 ml/1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Method:

Rub the butter or margarine and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the flour, sugar, mixed peel and raisins. Warm the marmalade slightly so that it blends easily into the milk, then blend in the bicarbonate of soda and mix into the cake mixture to form a soft dough. Spoon into a greased and lined 20 cm/8 in cake tin (pan) and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 45 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to finish cooling.