Welsh Tea Cakes Food

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 TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in raisins.
• Place egg in a 1 cup measure; beat lightly with a fork. Add milk to the 1/4 cup mark; pour into flour mixture and stir with fork to make a soft dough; ( a little more milk may be needed ). On a floured surface, shape dough into a ball and knead lightly 5-6 times.
• Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and with a floured small biscuit cutter, cut into rounds. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) on greased cookie sheet until slightly browned.

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.

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 BARA BRITH CAKE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, pour the cold tea over the fruit and leave to soak for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight if possible.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 325 F/170 C/Gas 3 and grease a 2-pound (900-gram) loaf tin with butter and put to one side. To the soaked fruit, add the marmalade, egg, brown sugar, spice, and flour and mix well.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until the center is cooked through (when a cake tester comes out clean). Check from time to time to see that the top doesn't brown too much, and cover with a sheet of foil if necessary.
• Remove from the oven and leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 minutes, then turn out of the tin and place on a cooling rack. Brush the honey over the top to glaze and leave to cool completely on a rack.
• Slice and enjoy. Bara Brith is even tastier when served with a little butter spread over a thick, fruity slice, or for added sweetness, a little jam or honey.

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 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.

TRADITIONAL WELSH CAKES RECIPE FROM MARY BERRY

Steps:

• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can also do this step using a food processor.
• Add the sugar, currants, and spices, and stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Add the egg and enough milk to form a soft but not sticky dough. Mary Berry needed a little more than 2 tablespoons. I needed closer to 4 tablespoons. The dough should resemble pie crust dough. You can knead it to get it to come together, but no more than a few times. You don't want your Welsh cakes to turn out tough!
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with the pastry cutter until all of the dough has been used (just ball up any excess and re-roll in order to cut out as many as you can). I used a scalloped 2-inch round and a similar-sized heart.
• Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat, and melt a little butter in it. A thin pat is sufficient for each batch--that's 7 welsh cakes that fit into my cast-iron skillet.
• Cook the Welsh cakes over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and golden brown. Be careful on the first flip, as they are still a little fragile--similar to American pancakes--at this point. During the cooking process, you may have to turn the heat up or down. I modulated between medium-high and medium-low.
• Let cool on a wire rack and continue to cook the cakes in batches. They're best when fresh, and even a little warm. You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar and serve with, obviously, a lovely cup of tea.

WELSH TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Place flour in a large bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sugar, oats and nutmeg. Stir in the eggs and milk. Fold in currants., On a heavily floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in round cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. , Bake at 350° for 12-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

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.

WELSH CAKES

Steps:

• Rub the butter into the flour with a pinch of salt, then stir in the sugar and currants.Tip in the egg and mix into a dough. Grease a flat cast iron griddle pan or large heavy-based frying pan (not non stick) with a drizzle of oil and put on a very low heat.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1cm thickness. Stamp out thin rounds with a 6.5in fluted cutter, re-rolling the trimmings as you go.
• To check whether the heats right for the griddle or pan you need to cook a trial cake. The pan is hot enough when a sprinkling of water sizzles up in a few seconds. Drop a welsh cake on to the griddle, leave it there for 5-6 minutes till the underside is brown, then flip it over and do the same to the other side to cook the middle. If the cakes are browning too quickly, reduce the heat of the pan & allow to cool slightly before you cook any more.
• Cook the Welsh cakes in batches, trying not to overcrowd the griddle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm sprinkled with caster sugar.

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.