Ingredients:
½ kilo plain white flour
300g of white sugar
2 eggs
100g of unsalted butter
A teaspoon of olive oil
100g of raisons
The grated peel of one lemon
A small packet of powdered yeast
2-3 tablespoons of fine bread crumbs
A medium sized glass of milk
A small glass of any sweet liqueur that you have in your cupboard such as Grand Marnier, Sweet Sherry etc
Preparation:
Soften the raisons in the liqueur and squeeze out the excess liquid keeping them aside.
Dust the raisons with a little flour.
In a large bowl, place the flour, the sugar, the grated lemon rind, a tiny pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil, the eggs, the melted butter and half the milk.
Mix it all into a smooth paste using a wooden spoon ( A hint from Mirella – use a wooden spoon as a metal spoon could leave a metallic taste).
Place the yeast into a small bowl and add 3 tablespoons of warmed up milk and mix until it becomes ‘frothy‘.
Mix it into the paste , add a little more milk and the raisons.
Butter a donut shaped baking dish with a centre hole and lightly dust with a few fine bread crumbs and add the mixture
Heat up the oven to 180° and bake for approximately one hour. Use a knitting needle or something similar to see if the cake is cooked – if the needle comes out dry the cake is ready. If the needle is sticky bake for a further 7-8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and turn the baking dish over onto a platter.
Zia Mirella has lots of serving suggestions – just serve it warm or cold cut into wedges or fill the hole with cream or fresh fruits .
