Eccles cake

Eccles cake

A new take on the traditional pastry, this cake will go down well on any occasion

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 8 - 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 40 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 25 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Mix together the filling ingredients and set aside.
  2. Put butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until pale. Beat in the eggs, then fold in the flours, buttermilk and apples. Spoon half the mixture into the tin. Scatter over filling, leaving a 2.5cm clear border all around the edge. Spoon remaining mixture on top, starting by dolloping round the edges, then moving into the middle. Bake for 1 hr 25 mins or until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
  3. Mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a runny-ish icing. Remove cake from the tin, drizzle over the icing, then scatter with crushed sugar cubes and lemon zest.

PER SERVING

571 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 76g, fat 27 g, saturated fat 16g, fibre 2g, sugar 53g, salt 0.8 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2012.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 04 January 2012

    EdwinaJones commented on this recipe

    Absolutely delicious everyone loved it. I added 100grammes of ground almond and used some left over nicely alcoholic mincemeat instead of the dried fruit and spices filling.

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  • 08 January 2012

    susan rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Recipe works well but I left off the icing and served the cake for dessert slightly warmed with cream. I would describe it more as a mince pie-cake rather than an eccles cake-cake. Delicious.

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  • 09 January 2012

    Hilders commented on this recipe

    I made this to take to a friends house for supper... it was a great hit. Served it with custard as a dessert. Will definately make it again.

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  • 11 January 2012

    Hilders rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Forgot my stars! Doh!

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  • 19 January 2012

    drusilla rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Loved it! Nice reminder of mince pies without being too like them (cause I've had WAY too many mince pies over Christmas, lol!)

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  • 13 June 2012

    JillyT commented on this recipe

    Would this freeze well does anyone know?

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  • 21 July 2012

    netz commented on this recipe

    I can't see any reason why it would not freeze well. I would leave off the icing until the day you take it out to serve. I have frozen apple cake and also mince pies and this seems to be combination of the two. Good luck.

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  • 06 September 2012

    Mandinga rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    The apple sponge was very nice but the filling, while tasty, doesn't hold together at all and makes for a bit of a messy eating experience. We quite liked this cake but it wasn't up to the usual swoon-worthiness of other Good Food cakes I've made so I don't think I'd make this one again.

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  • 04 October 2012

    Carol rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was a really moist and scrummy cake.I didn't have a problem with the filling as it held together well and looked impressive when cut. Another cake to add to the favourite list : )

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  • 16 October 2012

    hasselk rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    This cake has great potential - I'd make some alterations: add almond(flour), make the cake in a bigger pan (it's too thick for my taste), play with the filling (perhaps cranberries, prunes or a mix with some fresh pears). A splash of brandy. Very nice with vanilla ice cream.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 8 - 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 40 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 25 mins

Freezable

Ingredients

  • 250g pack butter , softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 250g soft light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 100g plain flour
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 100g buttermilk
  • 2 eating apples , peeled, cored and diced to about 1cm pieces

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • zest 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 85g currants
  • 85g raisins
  • 50g mixed peel

TO DECORATE

  • 85g icing sugar , sifted
  • zest and juice 1 lemon
  • a few sugar cubes , roughly crushed
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PER SERVING

571 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 76g, fat 27 g, saturated fat 16g, fibre 2g, sugar 53g, salt 0.8 g

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