Happy Hogmanay! with Scottish Sultana Cake

Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of New Year’s Eve

Slice of Sultana cake

Cover of my favorite reference book re Hogmanay traditions, "Christmas in Scotland," by World Book, Inc. 2002

Traditional Toast:              A guid new year ta ane an’ a’, And monie may ye see

                                             A good New Year to one and all & many may you see

In loving memory of my adored grandmother Catherine (who was born in Manchester, England on New Year’s Day) and my grandfather Tony (from Glasgow, Scotland), I’m going to share some family traditions celebrating New Year’s Eve, Scottish style.

One of my traditions around Hogmanay is to clear out the old to make room for the new. The idea is to make a clean break and welcome in the new year on a happy note - with remembrances of old family & friends, warm hospitality with current family & friends, along with good luck wishes for abundance, sweetness, and health. Going along with this, I tend to clean my house from top to bottom, reorganize and sort thru my clothes, pull out any books or games for donation, toss things that are broken, and make a list of all those little projects I meant to finish within the last year but just didn’t get around to. I make sure my pantry is well stocked and my laundry is all clean. I usually start the day after Christmas in my preparations - but never finish until late on December 31! The idea is to work hard right up until you’re partying, and then not to do any real work on New Year’s Day. I also cook and bake ahead so I have multiple main dishes and treats to choose from & share on January 1. Shortbread is a must; I’ve also made Sultana Cake and mincemeat cookies or a pie.

I’ll include my Scottish Sultana Cake recipe below. (Sultanas are yellow raisins to us Yanks.)

Close-up of Sultanas. PHOTO CREDIT: Abhinav619, "Raisins," Dec 2011 at Wikimedia Commons.

Ancient customs included “First Footing,” where it was thought that the best luck was delivered by a tall, dark and handsome man crossing the threshold as the first guest after midnight, bearing a piece of coal, salt or money, shortbread, black bun cake, and of course whiskey. My sources tell me that modern guests still share gifts of whiskey and shortbread.

PHOTO CREDIT: Antique lithograph print, "New Year's Day in Scotland 'First Footing'," 1876 (as seen on e-Bay)

For interesting links on the auld customs, check out the BBC Scotland page on Hogmanay or the Rampant Scotland page.

Modern customs include a multi-day festival rockin’ out in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is totally a fantasy of mine to celebrate Hogmanay in Scotland – but when my sons are older and supervising them is not so intensive! The theme this year is “Be Lucky!” The festivities include a torchlight procession, street parties, music stages & concerts, dancing and ceilidhs, even sled dog racing. For more info check out the Festival website here: http://www.edinburghshogmanay.com 

Now on to baking and then on to toasting in 2013, the Lucky New Year…

I’ve adapted this recipe from a delightful Scot who is sharing his Gran’s recipe. I love that it is not prepared at all how I think it would be – this cake is made in a sauce pot and the sultanas are steeped in tea to start. It’s fun to make, comes together quickly, and tastes along the lines of blondie bars. Slainte!

Scottish Sultana Cake

Adapted from Collin Wallace at Being Baked Blog

Ingredients:

1 cup Sultanas

1 Earl Grey Tea Bag

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 Flax "egg" (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp warm water)

1 Orgran "egg" (1 tsp powder + 2 Tbsp warm water)

1/2 cup demerara sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 cups wholewheat pastry flour

2-1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

Directions: 


Preheat oven to 350F. Grease round glass dish.

Prepare replacement for eggs - in very small, separate bowls combine solid and water and mix vigorously. Let sit.

Replacers for the eggs - Orgran powder + water mixture on top & Flaxseed meal + water mixture on bottom

Measure out sultanas in a pot and just cover with water. Drop in Earl Grey Tea Bag. Bring the water to boil then lower heat to simmer sultanas for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Carefully strain off the water while leaving the sultanas in pot. 

Drop in stick of butter immediately, and swish pot or use long tined fork to stir around the sultanas and completely melt the butter.

Sultanas, after brewing in Earl Grey, melting butter in pot

Mix in the sugar, "eggs" and extract.

Measure out and mix in flour, powder, salt.

Turn out batter into glass dish, smoothing the top.

Sultana cake batter in pot; stirred with heat resistant spatula

Sultana cake batter in greased dish, before baking

Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden browned and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

ALLERGENS: contains wheat and dairy

ALLERGY ACCOMMODATIONS: to eliminate wheat, substitute with gluten-free baking mix; to eliminate dairy, substitute with margarine or solid vegetable oil