Black Bun

Name: Black Bun
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 225 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: For filling: 450g mixed dried fruit, 100g mixed peel, 50g almonds chopped, 225g plain flour, 100g dark brown sugar, 1 tsp each cinnamon allspice ginger, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 egg, 3 tbsp Scotch whisky, 3 tbsp black treacle; For pastry: 350g plain flour, 150g cold butter, pinch salt, cold water

Black Bun (BLAK BUN)

Hogmanay Fruit Cake

⏱ Prep Time 45 min

📈 Difficulty Hard

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 316 kcal

A dense, dark fruit cake encased in pastry, richly spiced and soaked in whisky — Scotland's traditional Hogmanay cake.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 4.0g

Carbs 48.0g

Fat 12.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

vegetarian

Allergen Warnings

⚠ gluten ⚠ dairy ⚠ eggs ⚠ tree nuts

Equipment Needed

20cm round cake tin rolling pin mixing bowl

Presentation Guide

Vessel: cake stand

Garnishes: dusting of icing sugar

Accompaniments: whisky, cheese

Instructions

1
Make pastry: rub butter into flour and salt. Add enough cold water for a firm dough. Rest 30 min.
2
Mix all filling ingredients together thoroughly.
3
Roll out two-thirds of pastry and line a greased 20cm round tin.
4
Pack filling firmly into the pastry-lined tin.
5
Roll remaining pastry for a lid. Seal edges well. Prick all over with a skewer.
6
Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 2.5-3 hours. The long baking develops the dark colour. Cool completely before cutting.

💡

Did You Know?

Black bun was originally the Scottish Twelfth Night cake, eaten on January 6th, but moved to Hogmanay when Scotland adopted the Gregorian calendar.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

20cm round cake tin
rolling pin
mixing bowl

Garnishing

dusting of icing sugar

Accompaniments

whisky, cheese

The Story Behind Black Bun

Black bun dates to medieval Scotland and was originally served on Twelfth Night. When the calendar reform moved Scottish celebrations to Hogmanay, black bun came along. The pastry casing preserves the intensely fruited filling, which is traditionally made weeks in advance and fed with whisky. It is a first-footer's gift — brought to friends' homes after midnight on New Year's Eve.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed hogmanay (new year's eve) 📜 Origins: Medieval

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