Welsh cakes
A few weeks ago, I went with a couple of friends to Cardiff to see exhibition of Gwen John’s paintings at the National Museum. Entitled ‘Strange Beauties’, the exhibition was a celebration of John’s 150th birthday and a chance to see examples of her work which are rarely around for the public to see. The exhibition certainly lived to our expectations and we were enthralled by the diversity of her work.
We didn’t get much chance to look around Cardiff as although we went armed with umbrellas, the weather was against us. But we did venture into a glorious tearoom and spotted some local ‘beauties’ including Welsh cakes. It reminded me that I had a recipe in my collection for Welsh cakes from an uncle who lived in Wales for many years. He always loved baking and would regularly make various cakes for us when we visited.
How to
make Welsh cakes
Welsh
Cakes are really a cousin of Scones and have similar ingredients but differ as
they are cooked on a griddle or hob rather than baked in an oven. The texture
is somewhere between a Scone and a Shrewsbury biscuit.
What you need
8oz/220g self-raising
flour
4oz/110g
butter + extra for cooking
2oz/50g caster
sugar
2 oz/50g
sultanas or currants
1 egg
3 tbsps milk
How to cook
Sieve the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter. Add the sugar and sultanas or currants. Mix the egg with the milk and add to the dried ingredients. Mix until the dough is firm. Roll out on a floured board to ¼ inch/5mm thick and cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter (3 inch/8mm approx.).
Traditionally, the cakes are cooked on a bakestone or griddle but you can use a thick based frying pan or skillet. Grease the pan with a butter and het until hot. Cook the cakes for about 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown and slightly springy. Remove from the pan and sprinkle caster sugar over.
Some recipes have various spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon and use any dried fruit such as sultanas, currants or raisins. But whatever you use, they are a simple, quick treat to make and brilliant for a picnic!
I’ll be heading back to Cardiff another time to explore more of Cardiff Castle with its medieval foundations and Victorian Gothic apartments. Bydda i nôl
This is a shorter version of my
piece for Yorkshire
Bylines.
