Welsh Honey Cake Food

WELSH COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, zest, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy. Stir in the currants. Beat the eggs and 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk together. Stir into the dry ingredients to make a shaggy dough, add more buttermilk if the dough is dry. Gather dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Roll the dough on a floured workspace into a piece about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 2 to 3- inch rounds.
• Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Brush the pan surface with butter. Cook the cookies until slightly brown and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a rack, sprinkle with sugar and cool. Store in a cookie tin.

HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3 and butter and line the bottom of a 7in/18cm cake tin.
• Measure the honey, butter and sugar into a large pan. Add a tablespoon of water and heat gently until melted.
• Remove from the heat and mix in the eggs and flour.
• Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until the cake is springy to the touch and shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin.
• Cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
• While the cake is still warm, make the icing by mixing the sugar and honey together with 2-3 teaspoons of hot water. Trickle over the cake in whatever design takes your fancy.

WELSHCAKES

Steps:

• Rub the butter into the flour as you would if making biscuits, then stir in the sugar, spice, and dried fruit. Add the egg to make a soft but not sticky dough. Form a disc, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes.
• Roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, and cut out your little cakes; you will need to re-roll and so forth but that shouldn't be problematic. Preheat your unoiled griddle or cast-iron frying pan and cook the cakes for about 3 minutes each side, until golden brown. Remove to a cold plate and sprinkle with sugar.

TEISEN MEL (TRADITIONAL WELSH HONEYCAKE)

Steps:

• Sieve the flour, baking powderand spice into a bowl.
• Lightly grease a tin pie plate measuring about 8-1/2-inches across the top.
• Cream the butter with 3 oz sugar until creamy and light.
• Add the egg yolks then the 1/4 lb honey, gradually.
• Gently mix in the flour, then the milk.
• Spread the mixture in the prepared tin, mounding it slightly in the center.
• Bake at 400 F (200 C) gas mark 6 for about half an hour.
• Let the cake rest in its tin for 2 minutes before turning it out on to a wire rack.
• Let it cool for 10 minutes then slide it onto a baking tray and brush the top with 1 tablespoon warmed honey - or red currant jelly if you prefer.
• Whisk the egg whites and the remaining 1 oz sugar to make a glossy meringue mixture. Swirl this over the top of the cake and bake at 325 F (160 C) gas mark 3 for about 20 minutes.
• Serve the cake when it is cold.

TIESSENNAU MEL (HONEY CAKES) WELSH

Steps:

• Preheat oven - Gas mark 6 (400F) or 7 (425F) or 200°C If you are using a fan oven, reduce by 25°C.
• Grease your patty tins.
• Sieve together flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda.
• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Separate the egg yolk from the white.
• Beat the yolk into sugar and butter, then add the honey, gradually.
• Stir in the flour with a little milk as required and mix all together lightly.
• Whisk the egg white into a stiff froth and fold into mixture.
• Half fill small patty tins with the mixture; dredge the top of each with caster sugar.
• Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Watch these little fellows carefully. They brown rather quickly.
• When ready sprinkle a little more sugar.
• Croeso Cymreig.

WELSH HONEY CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F/190C Grease and flour a muffin tin or use liners.
• Stir together flour, cinnamon and baking soda.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks into sugar and butter, then add the honey in thirds beating well in between.
• Stir in the flour with a little milk as required to make the batter a little softer and mix all together gently.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff. stir 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten the mixture then gently fold in the rest.
• Half fill the cups of the muffin tin and smooth the tops with the back of a wet teaspoon to stop them from crowning too much then sprinkle each with a little bit of sugar (optional).
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. These do brown quickly and are actually browner than a similar cupcake or muffin would be so keep an eye on them so they don't get too brown.
• Leave the cakes in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool.