Westmorland Pepper Cake
A historic Cumbrian dark fruit cake laced with warming black pepper and aromatic spices, traditionally served with rich rum butter.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 70 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 385 kcal
Equipment
- •20 cm round cake tin
- •greaseproof paper
- •mixing bowl
- •fine wire sieve
- •wooden spoon
- •wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 385 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 62 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 5 g
- calories
- 385 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the fan oven to 140°C and line a 20 cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- 2
Cream the softened butter and dark muscovado sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.
- 3
Beat in the black treacle until completely combined with the creamed butter mixture.
- 4
Gradually add the beaten eggs, whisking thoroughly after each addition to prevent curdling.
- 5
Sift the self-raising flour, ground black pepper, ground ginger, and mixed spice directly over the bowl.
- 6
Fold the dry ingredients gently into the batter using a wooden spoon until just combined.
- 7
Stir in the currants, sultanas, and chopped candied peel until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- 8
Add the milk if the mixture feels too stiff to drop easily from a spoon.
- 9
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top with the back of a spoon.
- 10
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- 11
Cool the cake inside the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
Chef's tips
Grind the black peppercorns freshly for the best aromatic bite rather than using pre-ground pepper. Wrapping the cooled cake in greaseproof paper and foil for several days before slicing allows the spiced flavours to deepen significantly.
Ingredient substitutions
- black treacle → dark molasses
- dark muscovado sugar → dark brown soft sugar
Storage
Store the cooled cake wrapped tightly in greaseproof paper inside an airtight tin for up to three weeks.
Reheating
Serve at room temperature, or warm individual slices gently under a low grill for one minute if desired.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using stale pre-ground pepper which results in a dull, dusty taste instead of fragrant warmth
- •Baking at too high a temperature, which burns the sugary dried fruit before the centre cooks
- •Slicing the cake while warm, causing the crumb to crumble rather than hold clean slices
Serving suggestions
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