Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Bake

Maple bacon lardy cake baked in the Charlie Oven

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Maple Bacon Lardy Cake

Maple sweetness, crisp bacon and soft enriched dough. David Wright's lardy cake, from DJ BBQ's Backyard Baking, has a sticky finish and a savoury streak. The bacon crisps on the plancha while Charlie heats up, then the cake bakes golden on the middle level. Share it while there's still a little warmth left.

David WrightBaker and author, Pump Street Bakery
Bake
Prep30 minutes
Cook35 minutes
Serves6 to 8
DifficultyMedium
Oven temperature180 to 200°C (355 to 390°F)
RackBacon on the Flat Bed Plancha Rack on a low level, then the tin on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack on the middle level
CharcoalHalf a football of lumpwood charcoal, in the centre of the grates

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-us/blogs/charcoal-recipes/maple-bacon-lardy-cake

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Ingredients

For the dough

For the maple bacon icing

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Charlie Charcoal Oven$6,400.00Choose your oven
  • Charlie Oven Cooking Rack$300.00
  • Flat Bed Plancha Rack$300.00
Charlie Oven Cooking Rack and Flat Bed Plancha Rack $600.00 together

Method

Setting up Charlie
  1. Build a small pyramid of half a football of lumpwood charcoal in the centre of the grates and light with one or two natural firelighters
  2. Open both vents fully and close the door. When Charlie is about 10°C short of 190°C (375°F), set both vents to about a knuckle open (2.5cm or 1in) to hold the heat
  3. If it goes above 200°C (390°F), slide a deep metal tray of cold water into the oven to bring it down. Keep the door shut
  4. Crisp the bacon on the Flat Bed Plancha Rack on a low level, then bake the cake on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack on the middle level

  1. Make the dough

    Put all the dough ingredients except the 50g butter in a stand mixer and mix on slow for 4 minutes. Once a dough forms, turn the speed up and add the butter a little at a time. Keep mixing for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and silky. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour.

  2. Light Charlie

    While the dough rises, build a small pyramid of half a football of lumpwood charcoal in the centre of the grates and light it with one or two natural firelighters. Open both vents fully and close the door. When Charlie is about 10°C short of 190°C (375°F), set both vents to about a knuckle open to hold the heat.

  3. Crisp the bacon

    Lay the bacon rashers on the Flat Bed Plancha Rack and slide it onto a low level in Charlie. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until really crisp. Leave to cool, then chop finely.

  4. Make the maple bacon icing

    Beat the icing sugar, maple syrup and 40g soft butter together until smooth, then stir in the chopped bacon. It needs to be soft enough to spread, so warm it gently if it firms up.

  5. Shape

    Roll the dough into a circle about 1cm (½in) thick. Spread half the icing over it, then bring the edges into the middle to enclose it. Spread the rest of the icing over the base of a round tin of about 20cm (8in) and sit the dough in it, seam side down.

  6. Prove

    Cover and leave to prove for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy. Keep Charlie holding at 180 to 200°C (355 to 390°F) while you wait.

  7. Bake

    Take out the plancha. Set the tin on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack on the middle level and close the door. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until deep golden. If the top colours too quickly, move it up a level, where the heat is gentler.

  8. Turn out and serve

    Turn the lardy cake out onto a plate straight away, while it is hot, so the sticky base doesn't set in the tin. Take care, as the caramel will be very hot. Enjoy it warm.
    Turn out and serve

Tips

  • Cook the bacon until really crisp, so it stays crunchy in the finished cake
  • If the icing is too firm to spread, warm it gently
  • Turn the cake out while it is hot, or the base will stick to the tin
  • Best eaten warm on the day; leftovers can be gently reheated in Charlie
  • No wood is needed for this recipe

More recipes

The cook

David Wright

Baker and author, Pump Street Bakery

David Wright, known as The Breaducator, is a third generation Suffolk baker who was named Baker of the Year at the 2017 Baking Industry Awards. He coordinates the baking workshops at Pump Street Bakery and co-wrote DJ BBQ's Backyard Baking, a book of recipes for baking over live fire.

More recipes by David Wright

Frequently asked questions

  • What temperature do I bake maple bacon lardy cake at?

    Bake it on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack on the middle level at 180 to 200°C (355 to 390°F) for 25 to 35 minutes, until deep golden. Half a football of lumpwood charcoal holds that heat comfortably.

  • How do I stop the lardy cake sticking to the tin?

    Turn it out onto a plate straight away while it is still hot. Half the maple bacon icing goes in the base of the tin, and if the cake is left to cool in there it is far more likely to stick.

  • Can I make lardy cake ahead and reheat it?

    It is best eaten warm on the day it is baked. If you have some left over, it can be gently reheated in the Charlie Oven before serving.

  • What if the maple bacon icing is too firm to spread?

    Warm it gently until it softens. The mix of icing sugar, maple syrup, soft butter and chopped crispy bacon needs to spread easily, as half goes over the rolled dough and half into the base of the tin.

  • Can I cook the bacon in Charlie?

    Yes. While the dough rises and Charlie heats up, lay the rashers on the Flat Bed Plancha Rack on a low level and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until really crisp. Let them cool before chopping them into the icing.