Pot Cake, mince pies and sausage rolls

A wet cold Sunday afternoon so baking was one way of staying warm indoors. My d.Aisling had a hen/kitchen party recently as she is getting married next Friday to her partner Nigel,her future mother in law Ena gave her a loaf tin among other things and at the time I thought that is a waste as Aisling does not bake apart from some rice krispie cakes. Ena makes a pot cake which is a family tradition and has often passed some on to Aisling which I have sampled.Ena also gave the recipe to her, being very optimistic I thought, but a wet Sunday afternoon did the trick! Aisling made the potcake and it turned out so well the first one was eaten before she thought of taking photos....so she made a second one!

Ena's Potcake
1 mug of fruit
1 mug of water
1/3 mug of sugar
2 oz margarine
1 egg
2 mugs of self raising flour

Put the fruit, sugar, water and margarine into a pot. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least 30 mins, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the egg and flour, stir until well mixed. Add mixture to a greased loaf tin. Bake in a cool oven (gas 3) for approx 1 1/2 hrs.

The smell around the kitchen while it is cooking is divine.The cake cooling out of the tin
The finished cake is moist and tasty.We usually spread butter on it to eat it, it could be a cross between a brack or a cake, whatever it is delicious.
I had also started baking in my house and made sausage rolls and my first batch of mince pies this year.I use mince in a jar as I never think of making my own in time to have it for Christmas.I used Catherine's pastry as usual from Dispatches from the Deise
8ozs Self raising flour
4ozs butter/margarine
1oz icing sugar
1egg & enough milk to bind dough
When making savoury recipe as in sausage rolls I leave out the sugar and use a pinch of salt.It is light melt in the mouth pastry
This was all very labour saving baking. I use sausages, I skin them as I was taught in school many moons ago. Slit the skin of the sausage and put into boiling water for a couple of minutes and the skin just peels off.I also use a dried stuffing mix , made up and mixed through the sausage meat.Lay mixture out on a strip of pastry, dampen one long edge with water and roll up with the join underneath.
Cut into whatever size you like, brush with milk or beaten egg and put a couple of slits in the top
I made mince pies using the sweet version of the pastry,I was not partaking in Guinness while baking but I know this pint glass is the ideal size to cut out the pastry bases for this tray!When my late Mother was baking she always used a glass as pastry cutters would have been considered a frivolous waste of money!
The days baking,cooling on the rack.

Comments

Latane Barton said…
I hope you don't mind me snitching your photo to put with my Visiting Blogging Friends post. You are such a lovely lady... and yes, isn't it amazing that in such short years we all have evolved into these techies. I've been using a computer for almost 20 years but all this blogging and hyperlinking and facebooking etc is so new to me. But, I am so glad I have found you and my other blogger friends. Have a great day, Peggy.
hope you save some for me as like last year i enjoyed one or two with coffee and baileys whipped cream which came ready made in a tub available in supervalu and gorgeus!!
kathleen
Peggy I miss all these lovely goodied my Mother used to Make. My honey does not care for mince pies, and I know if I made them I would be sorry as I would eat them all. I have a problem with having high cholesterol, so pastry covered sausage rill are out too. sighhhh!
I do have to confess, while in NZ I did have a meat mince pie and just one fruit mince pie from a bakery.
Anonymous said…
You are making me hungry. Everything looks so good.

Willow
Ann said…
I'm having a baking day of Wednesday and was wondering what to make, think all these look so good that's what I'll be doing - thanks!!! I love a moist fruit cake and that pastry you use I know is light and melting, never thought to use it for sausage rolls (minus the sugar), and thanks for the tip on skinning the sausage, I didn't know that.
Jo said…
Oh my Peggy, what lovely fare. Your mince pies and sausage rolls look so yummy. Thanks for sharing this post. Mouthwatering...
Peggy said…
Hi Latane,I don't mind at all! Thank you for the compliment

Talesfromagarden, I will be making more dont worry complete with cream!

KeeWee,thanks for dropping by I was reading yuor NZ posts and I know you have a busy time catching up.Mince pies do have a come and eat me effect!

Willow, thanks for the compliments and taking time to comment.

Ann, the pastry is melt in the mouth and all of these are great for baking for storing and cake sales too

Jo, They are traditional Christmas fare here so I am not sure h ow they would go down in SA!
Just popping over from Chicago after discovering your blog at Flowergardengirl.

My dear son-in-law, who lives here, is from Cork and his family is still there. His parents have visited us twice in Chicago and they are very nice.

We share our first grandchild, a girl, who will be spending Christmas with her parents and grandparents in your lovely city.

I was saddened to see all the damage done to Cork by the floods. I hope that it didn't affect you .

We've just had the first snow fall of the season in Chicago.

You are quite the baker! My SIL has a very sweet tooth and always comes back from Cork with his Mom's christmas cake.
Your Pot Cake looks so tasty and easy to make, too - I've printed the recipe out to try sometime ! The sausage rolls and mince pies look lovely, too - can I pop over for a cuppa tea ?!

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