Scottish Black Bun – Traditional New Year Fruit Cake
Scottish Black Bun is a rich and spicy fruit cake baked in shortcrust pastry. This unusual fruit cake is traditionally served in Scotland on Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) when family, friends and neighbours visit to bring in the New Year.
I make a Christmas Fruit Cake every year, but it’s only when I know I will have a lot of visitors over New Year that I make Black Bun, the most traditional of Scottish New Year offerings.
When I do make a Scottish Black Bun it reminds me just how good it is and I really should make it more often!
What is Scottish Black Bun?
There is a long list of ingredients in a Black Bun. But don’t be put off, it is really very simple to make.
Black Bun is a simple fruit cake mixture that is low on flour and high on currants as well as raisins. The currants are a dark colour making the fruit cake look black. The term ‘bun’ is a generic term for any kind of bread or cake
What is Hogmanay?
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year’s Eve. When I was growing up, no self-respecting home would be without slices of Black Bun and shortbread fingers to offer ‘First Footers’ along with a dram of whisky or a schooner of sherry.
What is a First Footer?
A First Footer is the first person to step over the threshold on New Year’s Day usually just after midnight. If the first footer is tall, dark, and handsome then you will have good luck for the rest of the year!
What fruit do you use in Black Bun?
Currants
Currants are dried grapes from a specific small variety. They are not as sweet as other dried fruits but have a great flavour and they give Scottish Black Bun its distinctive dark colour.
Raisins
Raisins come from green grapes and darken as they dry. They add sweetness and moisture to the Black Bun.
Candied Mixed Peel
This is the peel of oranges and lemons which has been softened by cooking and then candied in sugar syrup. Not all recipes for Black Bun use peel, but I like the fresh fruity flavour that it brings to the cake.
I prefer to use whole candied peel which I chop myself because it has a better flavour and texture. But I have also used ready chopped mixed peel that you can buy in tubs in the supermarket.
What spices do you use in Black Bun?
- Allspice
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Black Pepper
Can you freeze Black Bun?
You can freeze Black Bun but you can also make it up to 6 weeks in advance and leave it to mature. As long as it is well wrapped and in a cool dark place, it will taste even better.
If you plan to freeze your Black Bun I recommend that you cut it into slices and open freeze before storing in a rigid container.
This Black Bun is baked in a loaf tin, but you can make it in a cake tin, usually square or rectangular but a round tin would do just as well if you don’t have anything else.
Keeping the oven temperature low, 325F/160C is vital to ensure that the pastry doesn’t burn while the cake inside bakes. I also covered the top with some foil towards the end of the baking.
Traditional Scottish Recipes from Farmersgirl Kitchen
Black Bun Traybake is a rich and spicy fruit cake sandwiched between two layers of shortcrust pastry. It is a simple version of the traditional Scottish Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) cake with all the same flavours. It is so simple to make and takes a third of the time to bake.
Scottish Shortbread Biscuits are a classic, indeed, iconic Scottish biscuit. These buttery, crumbly biscuits (cookies) need only three ingredients to produce the very best sweet treat you can enjoy.
Slow Cooker Scottish Cloutie Dumpling is an updated recipe for a delicious traditional Scottish steamed ‘pudding’ dessert. It tastes exactly as it should, retaining all the expected flavours but I make it in my slow cooker for maximum convenience.
Scotch Pancakes are soft, light, and slightly sweet, they are really easy to make on the stovetop with a girdle or frying pan. Let me show you how you can easily transform a simple sweetened batter into light and fluffy pancakes that everyone will love.
More Scottish Recipes
- Scottish Tablet – Something Sweet, Something Savoury
- Christina’s Scottish Oatcakes – Christina’s Cucina
- Scottish Tea Time Scones – Tinned Tomatoes
Scottish Black Bun Fruit Cake
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 225 grams (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 50 grams (0.3 cups) butter
- 60 grams (0.3 cups) solid vegetable fat (shortening)
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) cold water (approximately)
For the cake
- 500 grams (3.5 cups) raisins
- 600 grams (4 cups) currants
- 75 grams (0.5 cups) mixed peel chopped
- 115 grams (0.75 cups) almonds chopped
- 175 grams (1.5 cups) plain flour (all purpose)
- 115 grams (0.5 cups) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) brandy
- 1 large (1 large) egg beaten
- 75 millilitres (0.3 cups) milk
Instructions
For the pastry
- Make the shortcrust pastry by putting the fats, flour and baking powder in a food processor and processing until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the cold water and pulse to bring the mixture together. Add a little more cold water if the pastry mixture still seems dry.
- Remove from the food processor. Knead only very lightly, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and divide the dough. You will need 3/4 of the dough fto line the tin and a 1/4 to make the lid.
- Roll out the larger piece of dough into a large rectangle, big enough to line the loaf tin and leave a 3-4 cm of pastry around the rim.
- Grease the loaf tin and line with the pastry.
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 160C (325F.)
- Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together to evenly combine.
- Stir in the brandy, most of the beaten egg (keep a little back for glazing), and enough milk to moisten the mixture. It should be moist but not very wet and sloppy
- Put the mixture into the pastry-lined loaf tin. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the cake mixture. Crimp the edges and prick the lid with a fork.
- Brush the top with the remaining egg mixed with a little water.
- Bake for approximately 2 hours 45 minutes. I recommend checking after 2 hours 30 minutes because all ovens are slightly different. Check by inserting a skewer which should come out clean if the cake is baked. If not then return it to the oven and check again after 15 minutes.
- If the pastry begins to brown too much, cover the top loosely with foil.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes in the loaf tin. Then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
- When completely cool. Wrap in baking parchment and foil and store in a cool dark place for up to 6 weeks to allow the cake to mature.
I LOVE Black Bun and my Scottish granny used to make it every year, sadly I’ve not had the time to make it lately, but I will have a virtual slice of yours Janice! Happy New Year and hope to see you in 2016! Karen
Thanks Karen, now that I am a Scottish Granny, I have to keep up those traditions! Would love to see you in 2016, elderly mothers’ (both of them) health permitting.
I’ve never tried Black Bun but it looks and sounds incredible!!!! NYE for us generally involves cocktails, silly games and fireworks – either at our house or someone else’s. I used to go out on NYE but it’s so crowded and expensive that we don’t bother any more. House parties are way more fun 🙂
Sounds fun, enjoy your celebrations.
how interesting. Not heard of this before. Have a lovely 2016 Janice x
Thanks, all the best to you and your family for the New Year
I only came across this dish recently, when I was seeking traditional Scottish dishes for an Outlander-themed Pinterest board I curated! It looks so good, and now I have a reliable recipe to try! 🙂
it seems to have fallen out of favour recently, but we are enjoying it. well wort making, maybe for Burns night?
Fab recipe Janice. This takes me back to my days of first footing in Bonnie Stirling.
Thanks for featuring it in your advent calendar, Choclette. Not many people make Black Bun now, I love it.