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Lardy Cake

From http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/taste/taste08.shtml
The only way I'd eat lard these days (we used to fry our chips in it).

1 teaspoon dried yeast
Two and two thirds cups strong flour
Three quarters of a cup of warm milk
Quarter of an ounce of salt
Quarter of an ounce of butter
Half a teaspoon of sugar
One stick of lard
1 cup sugar
1 cup mixed fruit (sultanas, currants or raisins)
Half a teaspoon of mixed spice
Third of a cup of milk
1 oz sugar for glaze

Stir the half-teaspoonful of sugar in the warm milk until it dissolves. Sprinkle yeast onto mixture and leave for ten minutes or until frothy. Mix flour and salt together and rub in the quarter of an ounce of butter. Make a well in the flour mix and pour in the yeast mix, stir to form a dough.

Knead dough on a floured surface until the dough is smooth then form into a ball shape and leave to rise in a clean bowl covered with a tea towel. Knead again until the dough is firm then roll out into a 10 inch x 6 inch rectangle shape. Cut the lard into small flakes and spread one third of the lard onto two thirds of the rectangle. Sprinkle a third of the sugar over the lard.

Fold the uncovered dough down onto the middle of the rectangle, and then fold the remaining covered dough on top to form a rectangular parcel. Turn the dough through ninety degrees and roll out again and repeat steps 6 and 7 and this time add half the fruit to the top before folding up into a parcel. Repeat, adding the last of the lard, sugar and fruit.

Roll out and fold again. Then roll the dough to fit a 7-inch greased, square cake tin. Cover the tin with a tea towel and leave again for about half-an-hour. Remove the tea towel and score a criss-cross pattern over the top of the cake and bake it in the oven at 450ºF, 230ºC or Gas Mark 8 for 25 - 30 minutes.

Just prior to removing the cake from the oven, dissolve the 1 oz of sugar in the milk and then brush this all over the top of the cake when you remove it from the oven. Leave the cake to cool for 2 - 5 minutes, then turn the tin upside and remove cake from the tin, spooning over any remaining syrup.

Serve upside down cut into slices.