Description: Cordof Cram (literally fruit cake) is the traditional Elven teatime cake. There are many variations on the recipe but the version below gives a flavoursome cake with all the traditional bread-like qualities expected of Cordof Cram.

Submitted by: Eruvilui_Tavaron on 2012-05-09 11:01:10

Serves: As many thick slices you can get from it!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Medium

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Ingredients

450g self-rising flour
225g butter
225g sugar or dark muscovada (helps give the loaf a darker tone)
¼ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
¼ tsp mixed spice
pinch of salt
60g mixed peel
120g currants
180g sultanas
3 eggs
300ml hot tea
6 tbsp milk
1 large tbsp marmalade
1 large tbsp golden syrup


Instructions

First prepare 300ml of strong tea. Pour the hot tea over the fruit in a bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight. The following day sift the flour into a bowl, add the spice and nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Cut the butter into small cubes, add to the flour and rub this in with the tips of your fingers until the flour and butter are thoroughly mixed. Remove the fruit from the tea and add them to the butter and flour mixture. Tip in the sugar and mix well. Beat the eggs and milk together and add this to the mixture. Finally, add the marmalade and golden syrup and mix thoroughly. Grease a 500g bread or baking tin with vegetable shortening and pour in the cake mixture. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 160°C for forty-five minutes. At the end of this time take the cake out, line the top with baking foil (to prevent the top burning) and return to the oven for a further forty-five minutes (at this point check the cake occasionally; using the “toothpick” method - it is ready when set in the middle and golden brown in color). Cordof Cram is usually served at tea time spread with butter but it can be eaten as is. It may even be toasted and served buttered.

Tips:

Follow the recipe in strict order, you will get the most moist and flavorsome results.

Put 4 tea bags in 400ml of boiling water, when you take the tea bags out you are left with 300ml of strong tea.

Using a half teaspoon each of nutmeg and mixed spice gives the Cordof Cram more of an “orange” colour.

Depending on your oven you may have to adjust the heat 10 degrees either way or your initial cook time may have to be adjusted accordingly – your first Cordof Cram will let you know!

You may find it easier and smoother to beat with a mixer the eggs, milk, marmalade, and golden syrup together and cut out a step, using Robertson’s Golden Shredless Marmalade and Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup for the best results. This is honestly not an advert for Robertson’s or Tate and Lyle’s – it is simply tried and true best for the recipe! The Robertson’s marmalade also aids greatly in the nice “orange” coloring of the Cordof Cram.

If you use the method of melting the vegetable shortening and applying it by brush to your bread or baking tin, the Cordof Cram comes out of the tin the easiest and with the least breakage. Let it cool until it is absolutely cold in the tin!

Once you have the Cordof Cram out of the tin, store it in an air-tight container for maximum preservation of moistness and flavor.