Author: 
One of the strongest culinary traditions in Cumbria, England is this “plate cake”, really an enclosed fruit pie, thin but hearty. Numerous fruits are suitable for the filling: black currants, blackberries, gooseberries, plums, apples and rhubarb are all used in Cumbria. But if one is in the tropics one might just as well make the “cakes” with tropical fruits, choosing robust fruits rather than those with a delicate flavor or texture.
A number of cakes can be made ahead of time, frozen, and baked when needed.
The quantities given for the short-crust pastry
21/4 cups all purpose soft flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
4 tablespoons cold water
for the filling
1 pound fresh fruit (prepared as appropriate)
6 tablespoons superfine sugar, plus 2 more
flour to dust
Directions:
- Use the pastry ingredients to make a dough. Let it rest for a while before rolling it out on a floured surface, so as to provide four pieces to fit your pie plates. Use plates of 8 or 10 inches.
- Cover each of the greased plates with a sheet of dough. Arrange half the fruit on each, sprinkle the sugar over the fruit, and dust with flour (which helps to deal with the juices). Dampen the edges and put the pastry tops on. Trim the edges and pinch them together with your fingers.
- Cut three slits in the top of each “cake” and bake them in the oven at 430° for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over them while they are still hot.
Posted in