5. Black Bun

Name: Black Bun
Yield: Serves 12–16
Cuisine: United Kingdom
Ingredients: 100 g/3½ oz whole almonds, roughly chopped; 1 tsp ground ginger; 2 tbsp whisky; ½ tsp cream of tartar; 75 g/2¾ oz demerara or caster sugar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 50 g /1¾ oz walnuts, roughly chopped; ½ tsp baking powder; approx. 4 tbsp milk; beaten egg, to glaze; 450 g/1 lb raisins; 1 tsp ground allspice; 280 g/10 oz plain flour, sifted; grated zest and juice of 1 lemon; 600 g/1¼ lb currants; 150 g/5½ oz butter, diced; 150/5½ oz plain flour, sifted

Preparation info

Serves
12–16

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Scottish Baking

By Sue Lawrence

Published 2016

About

‘There were stacks of Scots Bun, a dense black substance inimical to life, and full moons of shortbread adorned with peel or sugar plum in honour of the season and the family’s affections.’

Robert Louis Stevenson, Edinburgh Picturesque Notes.

Though it is not one of my favourite dishes, I do not agree with Stevenson that black bun is ‘inimical to life’, though I can understand that the malevolent appearance

Ingredients

Europe
United Kingdom
Christmas
Vegetarian
Baking
Bread
Scotland

Ingredients

Method