Raisin Ring Cake

Today, I went to a friend's mum's place and helped out at a working bee to tidy up the yard and gardens in order to ready the house for sale. Because I went to Art School, I was given the illustrious job of painting the front stair support posts. This was fiddly, soothing in its monotony, and oddly satisfying to finish and see the difference a coat of paint makes to stair posts and hair. Exterior enamel paint in my hair, yes. According to my friend's uncle, I did a good a job as "one of those bought painters". Grand praise indeed. 

In addition to my physical labours and charming presence, I brought along a cake for afternoon tea. A Raisin Ring Cake to be precise. I'm sure this cake would be great with a cup of tea or coffee, but I can't tell you this for sure. I can tell you that it was pretty damn tasty with a beer in the afternoon after a few hours of sweeping dirt (so much dirt), spiders, cockroaches and lizards out of a garden shed. I may have more than once danced my way out of the shed, flapping my hands and shrieking — breathlessly, silently — in fear.    

Everyone got to eat this cake, so I'm more than a little pleased that it was a recipe that worked, unlike those Chews and Scones of Horror. Tasty. This was very tasty, and much more moist than I thought it would have been. There are no eggs or milk (and if one didn't use butter, but margarine instead, it could be be completely dairy free). The subtle addition of the sweet spices really made this potentially plain and 'nice' cake, just...lovely. It was soft but filling, and had great height. This one is definitely going onto the list of delicious. 

Raisin Ring Cake

115gm butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups self raising flour

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. mixed spice

1½ cup grated apple (about 3 apples)

1 cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

Extra ½ cup self-raising flour

Preheat oven to 160°C

Cream butter and sugar. 

Fold in sifted dry ingredients, alternating with grated apple. 

Mix the extra flour with the raisins and chopped walnuts then add to the mixture. Mix thoroughly and pour into a greased/papered ring tin. Bake for one hour. Once cooked, remove from oven, but leave to cool slightly in tin before placing onto cake rack. 

Dust with icing sugar to serve.

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For those of you who are not in Australia, please find here a selection of Measurement & Temperature Conversion Charts which should help with the accuracy of your own cooking.