Treacle and Ale Cake with Yellowman Honeycomb

Yellowman is a traditional Ulster honeycomb. It is associated with the Auld Lammas Fair – an annual event in Ballycastle, County Antrim. The word ‘lammas’ is Anglo-Saxon in origin (‘loaf-mass’) and is associated with a Christian festival celebrating the first wheat harvest of the year.

Recipes

Treacle and Ale Cake

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180℃/350℉. Grease and line 10 inch cake tin or loaf tin with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl and add the mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
3. Add the oil, water, syrup, treacle and egg into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the ale and whisk again.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and carefully whisk all together to a smooth batter.
5. Pour into the baking tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool in the baking tin. Remove paper from the cake and place on a serving plate.
7. Add some finely crumbled shards of honeycomb to the lightly whipped cream. Spread the cream on top of the cake.
8. Sprinkle with shards of honeycomb and serve.

Honeycomb or Yellowman

Method

1. Put the sugar, glucose, honey and water in a saucepan and place on a high heat (try not to stir it as this will cause the mix to crystallize).
2. Cook to a golden amber liquid or 142℃ on a temperature probe.
3. Add the baking soda and allow to fluff-up.
4. Pour onto parchment paper (don’t use greaseproof as it will stick!)
5. Allow to cool.
6. Crumble into shards.