Ingredients
Dough
- 450 gplain flour
- 250 gdark molasses
- 100 mlwater
- 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
- 2 tspground ginger
- 1 tspmixed spice
- ½ tspgrated nutmeg
- ¼ tspsalt
- 60 gbutter, melted
To serve
- ripe avocado
- sharp cheddar
Directions
- Warm the molasses with the water until it pours easily, then leave it to cool to lukewarm. Stirred in cold it will not distribute through the flour and the cakes bake out streaky.
- Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl.
- Pour in the molasses and the melted butter and bring it together into a stiff, heavy dough. It should be firm enough to shape by hand and nothing at all like a cake batter, because a bulla is a hard dense round much closer to a biscuit than to a sponge.
- Knead briefly on a floured surface, just until it is smooth, and no longer.
- Divide into 8 and press each piece out into a flat disc about 1 cm thick and 10 cm across.
- Set them well apart on a lined tray, though they spread very little.
- Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and dry to the touch. They will not take much colour, being already dark, so go by feel rather than by sight.
- Cool completely on a rack, where they firm up considerably. They keep for a week in a tin and are arguably better on day two.
- Serve split, with slices of ripe avocado, which Jamaicans call pear, or with a thick slab of sharp cheddar.
Technique
- It is meant to be dense, dry and only lightly sweet. A soft, cakey bulla has been made wrong.
- Molasses from the sugar estates is what this bake was built on, and it is the entire flavour. Golden syrup makes something else altogether.
- The avocado pairing sounds odd and is not. The fat and the salt of it are exactly what the dry spiced cake wants.
Substitutions
- Black treacle, which is the closest widely available equivalent to Jamaican wet sugar.
- Half wholemeal flour for a coarser, more rustic cake.
Variations
- With grated fresh coconut worked into the dough.
- Made small, as individual rounds sold from a paper bag.
- The softer spice bun, its Easter relative, which is enriched and fruited.
History
A cheap sweet bake of Jamaican bakeries built on molasses from the sugar estates; the classic pairing is with ripe avocado, called pear.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bulla cake?
Bulla cake is a snack from Jamaica: dense molasses and ginger cake eaten with avocado or cheese. A cheap sweet bake of Jamaican bakeries built on molasses from the sugar estates; the classic pairing is with ripe avocado, called pear.
How long does Bulla cake take to make?
Bulla cake takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 cakes. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bulla cake?
Yes, within limits. Black treacle, which is the closest widely available equivalent to Jamaican wet sugar. Half wholemeal flour for a coarser, more rustic cake.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bulla cake?
Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and dry to the touch. They will not take much colour, being already dark, so go by feel rather than by sight.
