Scottish Trench Cake

225g plain flour
115g margarine
80g light brown sugar
80g currants
2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp ginger powder
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp white wine vinegar
145ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin and set aside.
2. Using your hands, rub together the margarine and flour until a fine crumb texture is achieved. Mix in the sugar, currants, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest.
3. Pour the milk, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda into a small jug and mix until dissolved. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and beat well.
4. Evenly spread into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Leave to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack. It can be served warm or cool with lashings of butter and Apricot & Nutmeg Jam.

Serves 8

A wartime fruit cake made popular during World War 1. It was specially designed to be sent to Scottish solders fighting in the trenches. Due to wartime rationing, the cake used simple ingredients and avoided luxury items such as butter and eggs. It works today best enjoyed as an afternoon snack with butter, Apricot & Nutmeg Jam and a brew.

Scottish Trench Cake

Serves 8

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