Cumberland Rum Nicky

My brother and I made this originally having seen it made on Bake-Off, and with an excess of rum butter that needed a pudding to be used on. This dessert comes from the times when Cumberland was a big importer of rum and sugar from the slave trade. This is Paul Hollywood's recipe, although we adapted the method of pastry shaping. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

for the filling

  • 225g coarsely chopped dates
  • 100g chopped dried apricots
  • 50g finely chopped drained ginger in syrup
  • 50ml dark rum
  • 50g dark brown sugar
  • 50g butter

for the pastry

  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 100g butter
  • 1 lightly beaten egg
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Mix together all of the filling ingredients, except for the 50g butter in a bowl and leave to soak

 

2. Rub the 100g butter into the icing sugar and flour for the pastry until they resemble breadcrumbs

 

3. Combine the egg and lemon juice with 2 tbsp cold water

 

4. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir with a table knife until it comes together

 

5. When the dough begins to stick together (add a splash more water if necessary), bring into a ball with your hands

 

6. Wrap in cling film and leave in fridge to rest for at least 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius

 

7. Roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line a large (about 20cm) pie dish

 

8. Pour the filling and any liquid into the pastry dish and dot with the 50g butter

 

9. Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut slits in it to stretch over the filling, as in above photo. Stick down with water

 

10. Bake for 15 minutes before turning down the oven to 160 and cook for a further 20 minutes

 

11. Serve warm or cool with rum butter