Yesterday, if you didn't know, was St David's Day. I have not the tiniest bit of Welsh in me at all however I decided to be festive and make Welsh cakes.
I haven't made Welsh cakes since I was eleven years old and we dressed in Welsh national costume (complete with hats) and delivered Welsh cakes to the old folks home. Well, the girls dress in the national costume and the boys dressed as miners. All quite odd seeing as we are in the middle of England and nowhere near Wales. I'm only sorry there is no photographic evidence of this. Anyway, seeing as I hadn't made them in 19 years, I thought I'd give them a go.
As I think they are best served warm, I prepared all the dry ingredients earlier in the day and added the egg after dinner as we were eating them for supper. Little Miss enjoyed watching me roll out the pastry and cut them all out so whilst I was going to cook them when she was in bed I decided to let her stay up late for a treat. She loved them!
Some people have told me that they have never made them because they don't have a griddle or bake stone but you can cook them in a heavy frying pan too. However, I have a cast iron smooth griddle plate on the hotplate of my Rangemaster so was able to successfully cook them on there. Would you believe I've had the cooker for over two years and it was the first time I had ever used the hotplate? I've never even turned it on before. I thought it was just for holding utensils when I was cooking...
Without further ado here is the recipe, originally from BBC Good Food.
Welsh Cakes
Ingredients
225g plain flour
85g caster sugar
0.5 tsp mixed spice
0.5 tsp baking powder
50g butter, cut into small cubes
50g lard, cut into small cubes
50g currants
1 egg, beaten
splash of milk
Method
Tip the flour, sugar, mixed spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Then, with your fingers, rub in the butter and lard until crumbly. Mix in the currants.
Work the egg into the mixture until you have soft dough, adding a splash of milk if it seems a little dry - it should be the same consistency as shortcrust pastry.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of your little finger. Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter, re-rolling any trimmings.
Grease a flat griddle pan or heavy frying pan with lard, and place over a medium heat. Cook the Welsh cakes in batches, for about 3 mins each side, until golden brown, crisp and cooked through.
Some people have told me that they have never made them because they don't have a griddle or bake stone but you can cook them in a heavy frying pan too. However, I have a cast iron smooth griddle plate on the hotplate of my Rangemaster so was able to successfully cook them on there. Would you believe I've had the cooker for over two years and it was the first time I had ever used the hotplate? I've never even turned it on before. I thought it was just for holding utensils when I was cooking...
Without further ado here is the recipe, originally from BBC Good Food.
Welsh Cakes
Ingredients
225g plain flour
85g caster sugar
0.5 tsp mixed spice
0.5 tsp baking powder
50g butter, cut into small cubes
50g lard, cut into small cubes
50g currants
1 egg, beaten
splash of milk
Method
Tip the flour, sugar, mixed spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Then, with your fingers, rub in the butter and lard until crumbly. Mix in the currants.
Work the egg into the mixture until you have soft dough, adding a splash of milk if it seems a little dry - it should be the same consistency as shortcrust pastry.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of your little finger. Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter, re-rolling any trimmings.
Grease a flat griddle pan or heavy frying pan with lard, and place over a medium heat. Cook the Welsh cakes in batches, for about 3 mins each side, until golden brown, crisp and cooked through.
The best thing about Welsh cakes is that they are pretty much made of store cupboard ingredients so easy to rustle up. I served ours with topped with golden caster sugar, but they are lovely with butter too. This recipe makes about 16. Everybody loved them and I even took a food parcel down to the inlaws, who also enjoyed them.
Surprisingly Mr M and the inlaws informed me that they'd never had Welsh cakes before, but perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised seeing as I last had them two decades ago! There are still some in the tin, apparently they keep quite well and can be eaten cold so I'll give them a try tonight with a cup of tea!
Surprisingly Mr M and the inlaws informed me that they'd never had Welsh cakes before, but perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised seeing as I last had them two decades ago! There are still some in the tin, apparently they keep quite well and can be eaten cold so I'll give them a try tonight with a cup of tea!
love & kisses
Mrs M x
Ohooo well done you, I adore welsh cakes, and of course being a Welsh girl I have them alot ;0) I agree about the butter though I have them any which way them come, I am not fussy and the children adore them too :0)
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I will definitely be having them more often, shall not leave it another 19 years...
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