Today we welcome back to WOT chef Kevin Dundon as a part of our International Chef Series!
Many of you know Kevin Dundon from WOT already (you can check out his other recipes here). Kevin is a chef, restaurateur, and owner of Dunbrody House in Ireland. For our International Chef Series, Kevin brought us an authentic recipe with deep Irish roots and an original recipe in sustainability!
In Ireland, Gur cake (also called Chester Cake) uses leftover cake pieces, spiced and placed between two pieces of short crust pastry to form a whole new dessert! That’s right, it’s a cake that is literally made from leftover cake — And it’s the ultimate in upcycling food and eliminating waste.
Follow along with Kevin in the video below as he makes this traditional Irish dessert!
Kevin Dundon’s Gur cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cups water (very hot)
- 1/2 cup sultanas (raisins)
- 1/2 oz whisky (optional)
- 1 cup leftover cakes (crumbled or pieces)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (dark brown) sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp ginger spices
- 1 tbsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 2 sheets of pie crust You can buy in the dairy case or make homemade
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C / 325F and line a square cake tin of 8” X 8” with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, place the sultanas (raisins), boiling water and whiskey. Set aside to soak at least 30 minutes.
- In a second bowl, place the cake pieces and add the milk. Leave to soak for 5-10 minutes to have a spongy dough.
- Combine both bowls ingredients into one bowl and let sit while you go to next step.
- In a third large bowl, combine the butter, and brown sugar. Stir together to combine well. Add one egg into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix to combine well.
- Add ground ginger and mixed spices and blend well. Add the baking powder, stir, and then add the flour and stir well to combine.
- Then add the soaked sultan (raisin) mixture and cake mixture to the sugar / flour mixture.
- Combine with a wooden spoon until smooth and making sure the flour is fully incorporated and creates a loose batter.
- Roll one piece of the pie crust to fit the base of the tray tin.
- Pour the fruit mixture over the pie crust and level the mixture with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
- Add the second piece of pie crust and prick the surface if needed then brush with egg wash (instructions below).
- Bake for about 45-60 minutes until the pastry is cooked through.
- Remove from heat and leave to cool.
- Cut in squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
- Store in a tight-fitting tin for 2-3 weeks.
- Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk with a fork.
More about Kevin Dundon: He is a multiple cookbook author and had a great cooking series on PBS. He and his wife own the Dunbrody House in the southeast of Ireland, which is a country inn and cooking school. Kevin also has a great garden and tries to prepare as much farm-to-table as possible.
Enjoy! Making this recipe? Be sure and share it with us on Instagram!
