Saturday, February 27, 2010

Getting ready for St David's Day......



WELSH CAKES: are a specialty of South Wales. Essentially they are griddle cakes (called a bake stone in Wales), but they can also be cooked in a heavy pan or skillet.
1 lb. (4 cups) plain flour ( I use Brodies self rising flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
10 oz. (1 and 1/4 cups) butter
6 oz. (3/4 cup) sugar
pinch of salt
6 oz. (1 and 1/2 cups) currants
1/2 teaspoon mace
1 egg
a little milk

Mix together the flour and baking powder with the salt, then cut in the butter with a pastry blender. Add the sugar, spice and currants. Mix in the beaten egg and just enough milk (about 3 tablespoons) to make it the same consistency as short-crust pastry. Turn out onto a floured board, roll out and cut into rounds about 3 in. across and about 1/2 inch thick. Cook over a medium heat (I use an electric griddle at about 275 degrees) in a very lightly greased pan or bake stone for about 3-4 minutes on each side. If they brown too quickly, lower the heat, for the inside must have time to cook thoroughly so that it has a brittle, sandy texture. Serve either hot or cold. Some people like them with butter, sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, jam or honey when they are a day old. Not that that ever happened in our house. Makes approximately 20 - 25. Welsh Cakes are called Pice ar y Maen in the Welsh language.

3 comments:

FeyRhi said...

mmmmmmm. Give me a nice big cuppa and I'd eat about a dozen of them. I'm going to make some tomorrow.

Susan said...

It's the butter that makes the difference! I am having one/two...with my morning coffee

happyone said...

I bake these too and love them. I just eat them plain. They are not too sweet but oh so good. I've put mini chocolate chips in them too.