Welsh Cakes Food

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Rub the butter and lard into the flour, and add sugar, fruit, lemon rind and spices. Mix with beaten egg and a little milk to a stiff, pastry-like dough.
• Roll out 1/4" thick, and cut into 2" rounds. Grease the griddle or pan with a little fat and put it on a moderate heat. Cook the cakes about 3 minutes on each side, turning over as they become golden brown and risen. If they brown too quickly, turn the heat down.
• Sprinkle with a little sugar while still warm. Eat hot or cold. They keep fresh for several days if stored in an air-tight tin.

WONDERFUL WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar and mixed spice.
• Cut the butter into cubes and add to the bowl with a pinch of sea salt.
• Use your hands to rub it all together until you get a fine breadcrumb consistency, then toss in the dried fruit.
• Make a well in the centre of the mixture and crack in the egg. Add a splash of milk, then use a fork to beat and mix in the egg.
• Once combined, use your clean hands to pat and bring the mixture together until you have a dough. It should be fairly short, so don't work it too much.
• Put a large heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan on a medium heat.
• While it's heating up, dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out until it's about 1cm thick. Use a 5cm pastry cutter to cut out as many rounds as you can. Scrunch the remaining scraps of dough together, then roll out and cut out a few more.
• To test the temperature, cook one Welsh cake in the pan for a few minutes to act as a thermometer. If the surface is blonde, turn the heat up a little; if it's black, turn the heat down - leave for a few minutes for the heat to correct itself, then try again. When you've got a golden cake after 4 minutes on each side, you're in a really good place and you can cook the rest in batches. It's all about control.
• As soon as they come off the pan, put them on a wire rack to cool and sprinkle them with caster sugar. You can serve them just like this, as they are. Or, if you want to do what I've done, gently cut each cake in half while turning so you get a top and a bottom.
• Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla paste together until you have soft peaks. Put the berries into a bowl, slicing up any big ones, and toss them with the juice of 1 lemon and a sprinkling of sugar. Open the cakes up, and add a little dollop of cream and a few berries to each one.

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt, rub in margarine, stir in sugar and currants.
• Mix to a fairly stiff dough with the egg and milk.
• Roll out about 5 mm (¼ inch) in thickness and cut into rounds, (use a 6.5 cm or 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter) Gather up the trimmings and re roll to make more Welsh cakes.
• Cook on a medium hot greased griddle pan for about 3 minutes on each side. Place the hot Welsh cakes on some sugar, both sides then serve buttered, hot or cold.

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and egg; stir just until moistened. Fold in currants., Pat or roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-in. biscuit cutter. Preheat griddle over medium heat. In batches, place cakes onto griddle; cook until tops puff and bottoms are golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Turn; cook until second side is golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

TRADITIONAL WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, mace and cinnamon. Mix in the lard and butter using your fingers or a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the currants and stir to combine. Add the beaten egg and work it into the mixture adding a little milk as needed until you have a soft dough. It should not be wet or sticky. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Dough can be made well in advance and chilled until ready to use.)
• Roll the dough out onto a floured or non-stick surface about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds using a biscuit cutter. Gather up the scraps, knead together and roll out again to cut the remaining rounds.
• Heat and lightly butter a cast iron pan over medium heat (I lightly butter it to later help the sugar adhere to the cakes when they're sprinkled). Add the cakes and cook on each side until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes (lower the heat if needed to prevent the outside from burning before the interior is done).
• Let them cool for about a minute. While the Welsh cakes are still warm, place them in a small bowl of sugar to coat all sides. Best eaten while a little warm. Reheat Welsh Cakes in a pan, toaster, or warmed oven (or if in a hurry, in the microwave for a few seconds).

WELSH TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add butter and shortening and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Add currants. Whisk 4 tablespoons milk and egg in small bowl. Add to dry ingredients; stir until moist clumps form, adding more milk if mixture is dry. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch-thick round. Using cookie cutter, cut out 2 1/2- to 3-inch rounds. Gather dough scraps; roll out to 1/2-inch-thick round. Cut out additional rounds.
• Heat heavy large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange 6 to 8 cakes on griddle. Reduce heat to low and cook until cakes are set and brown, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to rack. Repeat with remaining cakes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

EASY TRADITIONAL WELSH CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the lard and butter in a small bowl.
• Rub the fats into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the sugar, currants, mixed spice and honey.
• Add the beaten egg and mix to form a firm dough.
• On a floured board, roll or pat the mixture until about 2cm thick.
• Cut into 6 centimeters in diameter discs (2.3 inches) and griddle over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.
• Dust the Welsh cakes with caster sugar and eat immediately or store in an airtight tin.

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Rub the butter into the flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and sultanas, then stir in the egg. Mix, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 5mm/¼in thick. Cut it into rounds using a 7.5cm/3in fluted cutter.
• You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on a direct heat and wait until it heats up. Place the Welsh cakes on the griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until caramel brown.
• Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the sultanas, split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam.

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

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

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Put in butter and lard and mix until resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar and currants or raisins. Beat the eggs lightly and add to flour mixture with just enough milk to make a firm dough similar to shortcrust pastry.
• Chill dough 1 to 2 hours.
• Roll the dough to 1/4 inch on floured surface and cut with 3 inch rounds. Bake the cakes on a greased griddle or frying pan (I use my electric skillet with just a little non-stick spray) over low heat until golden brown. Cool and sprinkle with sugar. These also freeze well.

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl and cut in shortening finely. Add fruit, then eggs mixed with milk to make a stiff dough. (I ended up using my hands to get it to combine.)
• Roll to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. (It is more convenient to roll out half the dough at a time.) Cut out rounds with a sharp two-inch cookie cutter.
• Bake on a heated griddle on low heat, or an electric fry pan set at 250F for 8 to 10 minutes. When golden brown on one side, turn and bake second side until golden.
• Serve hot with butter as a tea cake or serve cold. Store in a covered container.
• NOTE: Shortening is satisfactory in this recipe but butter or hard margarine gives a richer flavour and colour. (I used hard margarine.) I estimated two as a serving. (Don't think you'll stop with two!).
• Makes about 4 1/2 dozen.