Sometimes Yorkshire is so heart achingly gorgeous I never want to leave. It is a magnificent county; grander, more rugged and much wilder than my native Oxfordshire.
Today I set off to explore the area betwixt the villages of Malham and Arncliffe where we are staying in a National Trust Cottage in a few weeks time. It is a remote area and a single, narrow road stretches like a sinew between the two settlements.
The road rises from Malham and then falls away sharply. Houses and barns become more isolated. Sheep nibble the short grass reminding me of giant white grubs.
Threading its way
to the right of Malham Tarn and
across Fountains Fell to Horton-in-Ribblesdale is the Pennine Way, the 270 mile ridge from Edale to the Scottish borders. I have yet to complete the the final 80 miles of the walk which I began a few years ago.
The sky is grey and heavy with impending rain and I find comfort in my warm car, Thermos of hot tea and slice of Timothy Taylor Landlord cake which I made earlier in the week. I spotted a few blackberries hanging from a ragged bramble, smaller than usual but I am grateful for them as a side kick to my sweet, beer soaked fruit cake. I took a moment to reflect I will not taste these sharp, slightly hairy, fruit for another year.
Then the sun appeared to light a flaming orange beech tree as I looked back towards the tarn and I scrambled my camera to take this photograph.
I noted the large numbers of 'shake holes' on the map and realised I have no idea what they are.
Later I discover shake holes are conical pits dissolved into limestone over time by the action of slightly acidic rain. They tend to occur along contours because they follow the horizontal lines of limestone beds.
To make my Timothy Taylor Landlord Cake
The inspiration for this cake comes from James O'Dwyer, Managing Director of the Shipley based company 'Just Desserts' who have just won a Deliciously Yorkshire Award for their version of this cake. The only problem is their cake is supplied to the catering trade and cannot be bought in a shop. So I have devised my own recipe. As one of the judges for this award I was really impressed with the line up of spices James used - coriander, fennel, and cardamom which really came through in the tasting. I based my cake on a Cranks recipe for a boiled fruit cake which recommends soaking the dried fruit in a liquor for a
few hours before mixing with the other ingredients. It is a really moist cake with a soft crumb and spicy, sweet flavour and very easy to make. I absolutely love it and it is perfect for packing up to take on long, cold walks across the remote Yorkshire countryside. Let me know what you think too...
Makes 16 generous slices
75g raisins
75g sultanas
75g currants
75g dates, chopped
25g candied peel, chopped
175g dark muscavado sugar
25g tbsp black treacle
juice and zest from one medium orange
225g unsalted butter
200ml pale ale such as Timothy Taylor Landlord
3 free-range egg, lightly beaten
250g self raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp each cardamom, fennel and coriander seeds, ground
50g whole blanched split almonds to decorate
2 tbsp warm sieved apricot jam to glaze the top of the cake
Method
Grease a 20cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment
Place the raisins, sultanas, currants, chopped dates, candies peel, muscavado sugar, treacle, orange zest and juice, butter and pale ale into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted. Simmer for five minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Leave for at least two hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 150C/Gas mark 2.
Stir the lightly beaten eggs into the fruit and beer mixture and gradually fold in the flour, baking powder and spices. Mix well. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined cake tin and place lines of almonds over the top of the cake. Bake the cake for 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover with a sheet of foil or brown paper. Cool the cake in the tin and brush with warm, sieved apricot jam to make the top of the cake glisten.
