COPHA CAKE ( LARDY CAKE)

This recipe has its roots in Britain , both my cooking hereos have recipes for this cake . My food hereos are Elizabeth David and our own Margaret Fulton. Just to murky the waters , here is my version of 'Lardy Cake '.. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C Combine 2 cups (250gm ) of white bread floir , 2/3 rds of a cup of warm water and 1 and 1/2 tsp (5 gm ) of instant yeast . Mix to a soft dough . Melt 1 dsp ( 10 gm ) of softened copha into the dough , then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Put into a clean bowl , cover ,and let rise until doubled in size . In a separate bowl toss together 1/3 rd cup of raisins , 1/3rd cup of glace cherries, 1/3 rd cup of mixed peel , 4 tbs of castor sugar and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon . Now cut 150 gm of copha into small dice and place in a small bowl . Tip the risen dough out onto a clean work surface and press all over with your fingertips to deflate . Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle about an inch thick . Scatter half of the dried fruit mixture and half the copha pieces over the dough , then roll up from the short side to enclose the filling . Shape the dough into a rectangle again , scatter over the remaining dried fruit and copha pieces . Roll the dough up again . Shape the dough into an 8" square . Place into a greased , square 8 " pan , leave to rise for 30 minutes . Bake the copha cake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until well risen and golden brown . Let cool slightly in the pan for 10 minutes , then turn out onto a wire cooling rack placing it upside down so the melted copha can be reabsorbed into the dough as it cools . Serve warm or cold cut into slices .