Barm Brack for Halloween

Traditional Halloween Barm Brack

Recipe supplied by Imelda Murphy

Traditions.

In Ireland at Halloween, it is just as easy to buy Barm Brack from a bakery or even the supermarket. But here is a lovely traditional recipe that is easy to make with simple ingredients to bring the taste of Halloween here. Some bakeries would put a ring for marriage or a pea for poverty.

Every Irish family had a Barm Brack on the table around Halloween.

ingredients:
250g plain Flour

2 tsps. of baking powder

1 tsp of mixed spice powder

375g packet of fruit mix

250ml cold tea

50ml of whiskey

125g light brown sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten.

40gr butter, melted.

A ring or coin to place inside.Method.

Dissolve the sugar in the cold tea and whiskey, add the mixed fruit and soak overnight.

Add the melted butter and beaten egg, into the fruit mixture and mix well.

Sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice, together.

Add sifted flour mix in two lots, mix thoroughly after each lot.

Pour batter into a lined 8 inch, 22 cm cake tin, or loaf tin.

Wrap the coin in baking paper, Push into the batter.

Bake on a conventional setting at 180° C or Fan forced at 160° C for 1 hour.

Allow to cool.

Slice and the person who gets the coin has a fortune-filled year.

Imelda Murphy

Imelda is a Chef from County Waterford, Ireland. She moved to Australia in 1989. Her first job after her apprenticeship was working at a hotel in Waterford City. In Australia she worked at the Celtic Club, in Melbourne’s CBD, cooking for The Fury brothers, Jim Stynes and Irish politicians. Over the years she’s cooked many different cuisines. In her current role for Smeg Australia, an Italian oven brand, she feels she has cooked a dish from nearly every cuisine over the years, but Irish food will always be her favourite.