Welsh cakes

Welsh cakes

By Good Food
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(53 ratings)
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Prep: 10 mins Cook: 6 mins

Easy

Makes 16
Pice ar y maen, a Welsh teatime treat passed on through generations and still as popular as ever. Perfect for making with the children

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable
  • Easily doubled / halved

Nutrition: per cake

  • kcal138
  • fat6g
  • saturates1g
  • carbs20g
  • sugars9g
  • fibre9g
  • protein2g
  • salt0.13g
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Ingredients

  • 225g plain flour
  • 85g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp baking powder
    Baking powder

    Baking powder

    bay-king pow-dah

    Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…

  • 50g butter, cut into small pieces
    Butter

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

  • 50g lard, cut into small pieces, plus extra for frying
  • 50g currant
  • 1 egg, beaten
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

  • splash milk

    Milk

    mill-k

    One of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a complete food. While cow…

Method

  1. 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.

  2. 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. Delicious served warm with butter and jam, or simply sprinkled with caster sugar. Cakes will stay fresh in a tin for 1 week.

  • Recipe Tip

    Lucy says...

    My family is from South Wales and Welsh cakes or ‘Pice ar y maen’ were always a teatime favourite. This is the recipe my great-grandmother used to make with my mum and the tradition passed on to me. The taste of these warm, buttery cakes still brings back fond memories

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Comments, questions and tips

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l_dommett
1st Mar, 2016
5.05
made these with half butter, half Trex (no lard in the fridge) and they were light and delicious
malcolmjryan
18th Nov, 2015
Simple to follow recipe, my first time of making welsh cakes though I have purchased and eaten them often when in Wales. The dough came together well without the need for additional liquid and using a smaller cutter I managed to get 23 'two bites and gone' cakes. They were tasty but I will reduce the amount of sugar next time as I found them very sweet.
KingOfTheLilies
21st Feb, 2015
5.05
I changed nothing about this recipe aside from using all butter (I prefer it) and using 70g of sultanas instead of currants. I only just managed to get 14 out of this mix, using an 8cm cutter, after rolling out the dough to approx. 1-1.5cm. They were delicious, none survived the night, and they were eaten with a variety of things from butter, to jam, to ice cream.
Jafinthebox
20th Oct, 2014
5.05
Really delicious and flavoursome! Would definitely recommend this recipe.
Cwmandgo
7th Aug, 2014
Welsh Cakes are great don't get hung up on just currants try something else - Dark chocolate and orange - Lemon - Cinnamon - Milk chocolate - White chocolate and vanilla - Dark chocolate and lime - Lemon and almond - Dark chocolate and ginger - Pineapple - Toffee pecan - Cherry and coconut - Double chocolate - Apricot and cinnamon - Lemon and poppyseed - Blueberry - Pistachio and lemon - Coconut and lime - Hazelnut - Cherry and almond - White chocolate and lemon - Milk chocolate and hazelnut - Blueberry and vanilla - Cranberry - Milk chocolate raisin - Blueberry and white chocolate - My favorite dried Cranberries and white chocolate.
jmacdowall
14th Jul, 2014
My families have lived in the states for a few generation, but I grew up eating these!! http://www.betterdoneyourself.com/2008/11/10/welsh-cookies-3/
Kisrah
27th Apr, 2014
5.05
Delicious little cakes and so easy to make. I've made a few batches in the last week, and they don't last long! Everyone's gone crazy for them here! I don't use lard, so I just doubled the butter. When recipes don't specify egg size, I go with medium, but I've found large works best for this. The finished dough was then moist enough that no extra liquids were needed. Will definitely be making these again before too long. :)
Mum44
17th Oct, 2013
Really lovely recipe. I used all butter as I didn't have lard. I used a small heart shape cutter (about 5cm across) and got about 20 out of this mixture. Will def. do again...children helped and it was easy for them. Served them hot, alongside cups of tea and sandwiches - made quite a substantial afternoon tea, the welsh cakes are very filling!
carlyj52
10th Oct, 2013
Dont use lard! You can taste it in the Welsh cakes and they turn out really heavy. Delia says use 110g butter. Delia knows best.
badgerchick
15th Sep, 2013
I made these for my colleagues in Australia, who have never come across Welsh cakes before. Total success! I used sultanas instead of currants (personal preference) and swapped the lard for coconut oil (it's more readily available here and I'd have to go vegetarian anyway). The coconut oil didn't overpower the taste at all - it subtly complimented it and I'd recommend it for future use.

Pages

lilmaff
18th Feb, 2016
Does the butter need to be cold (directly out of the fridge)?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
28th Apr, 2016
Yes both the lard and the butter should be chilled.
Eds
7th Sep, 2014
What is meant by mixed spice. Trying to make these in the U.S. Thank you
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
16th Sep, 2014
Hi there, thanks for your questio. Mixed spice is a British blend of sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. In the US you have a similar blend called pumpkin pie spice, use this if you can find it, or use cinnamon instead, hope this helps.
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