Youll Never Go Back To Store Bought English Eccles Cakes Food

ECCLES CAKES - THE CLASSIC BRITISH TEA CAKE!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• To make the filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Mix into this the other filling ingredients. Set aside.
• Roll the pastry out to about 1/8 inch thick onto a floured surface. Use a 4" pastry cutter to cut discs of pastry.
• Put a teaspoon of the filling into the middle of one disc.
• Brush half of the edge of this disc with water. Bring up all the sides of the disc to the middle (above the filling), and press tightly to seal.
• Turn the cake over on the work surface, and gently roll it to about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Pat into a rough round shape.
• Repeat for the remaining pastry discs.
• Place disks on a non-stick baking sheet (a greased sheet, or one with parchment paper). Using a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal cuts through the top of each cake. Brush the top of each cake with the egg, and sprinkle a little white sugar over.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cake has risen. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
• Serve with your afternoon tea!

EASY ECCLES CAKE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a medium saucepan, combine 110 grams of the sugar and 25 grams of the butter and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the currants, candied fruit peel, and nutmeg to the saucepan.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 1/4 inch and cut into 4-inch rounds with the help of a wide glass or big cookie cutter. You'll need 10 disks.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet with the remaining butter. Place each cut round onto the sheet and add a small spoonful of filling to the center of each disk.
• Dampen the edges of the pastry with cold water and draw the edges together over the fruit. Pinch to seal.
• Turn the patty over-it might look thick in the center-and then press gently with a rolling pin to flatten the cakes.
• With a pair of cooking scissors, snip a V shape on top of each cake to help the steam escape during the baking process. For a more classic look, cut 3 slits on top of the Eccles cakes instead of the V shape.
• Brush the cakes all over with cold water and sprinkle the cakes with the remaining sugar.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
• Remove the Eccles cakes from the oven and place the Eccles cakes on a wire cooling rack to cool off.
• Serve and enjoy cold or warm.

YOU'LL NEVER GO BACK TO STORE BOUGHT' ENGLISH ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/425°F.
• Cut the pastry into rounds approx 4 inches in diameter.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, add the currants, lemon zest and spices.
• Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the centre of each pastry round.
• Gather the edges of each round to form a sealed ball, and with the smooth side uppermost, flatten onto a greased baking sheet.
• Cut 2 slits in the top of each cake with a sharp knife, brush with water (not milk or egg) and dust with caster sugar.
• Bake until golden brown for approx 20 minutes.
• Allow to cool for around 20 minutes before serving whilst still warm-ish or wait until completely cooled.
• To die for!

THE GREAT BRITISH ECCLES CAKE

Steps:

• Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
• Dice 1/2 of the chilled butter; rub it into the flour using your hands.
• Add just enough cold water (4-5 tablespoons) to bring it together into a soft dough.
• Cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an oblong approx 20cm x 10cm.
• Cut the remaining chilled butter into thin slices; cover the middle third of the dough with 1/3 of the slices; fold the unbuttered thirds of dough over the buttered third; first one, then the other, making a square.
• Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
• Repeat two more times, turning the block of dough 90 degrees each time and chilling between each rolling.
• Repeat two more times without the butter; chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 240°C /465°F/ gas mark 8.
• Line a sheet with parchment paper.
• Cream together 1 oz soft butter and caster sugar; add currants, candied peel and nutmeg.
• Roll out the pastry until 1/4" thick.
• Cut out 12 x 7cm discs.
• Spoon the filling into the centre of each disc.
• Brush the edges with water, then pull the edges into the centre and pinch them together to seal.
• Turn cakes over; place on the baking tray.
• Push cakes down lightly to slightly flatten them.
• With a sharp knife make three short incisions in the top of each cake.
• Brush tops with a little milk; sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges turn golden brown.

ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• To make the pastry, dice the butter and put it in the freezer to go really hard. Tip flour into the bowl of a food processor with half the butter and pulse to the texture of breadcrumbs. Pour in the lemon juice and 100ml iced water, and pulse to a dough. Tip in the rest of the butter and pulse a few times until the dough is heavily flecked with butter. It is important that you don't overdo this as the flecks of butter are what makes the pastry flaky.
• On a floured surface roll the pastry out to a neat rectangle about 20 x 30cm. Fold the two ends of the pastry into the middle (See picture 1), then fold in half (pic 2). Roll the pastry out again and refold the same way 3 more times resting the pastry for at least 15 mins each time between roll and fold, then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins before using.
• To make the filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Take it off the heat and stir in all the other ingredients until completely mixed, then set aside.
• To make the cakes, roll the pastry out until it's just a little thicker than a £1 coin and cut out 8 rounds about 12cm across. Re-roll the trimming if needed. Place a good heaped tablespoon of mixture in the middle of each round, brush the edges of the rounds with water, then gather the pastry around the filling and squeeze it together (pic 3). Flip them over so the smooth top is upwards and pat them into a smooth round. Flatten each round with a rolling pin to an oval until the fruit just starts to poke through, then place on a baking tray. Cut 2 little slits in each Eccles cakes, brush generously with egg white and sprinkle with the sugar (pic 4).
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Bake the Eccles cakes for 15-20 mins until just past golden brown and sticky. Leave to cool on a rack and enjoy while still warm or cold with a cup of tea. If you prefer, Eccles cakes also go really well served with a wedge of hard, tangy British cheese such as Lancashire or cheddar.

ENGLISH ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured board.
• Cut dough into 24, 3-inch rounds.
• In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
• Mix in currants and spices.
• Place 2 tsp of mixture on each circle.
• Brush edges of each circle with milk to "glue" the top to the bottom.
• Place another round of dough on top pressing the edges firmly all around.
• Brush tops of each cake with milk and sprinkle on a bit of sugar.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake until brown and crispy (12- 15 minutes).
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
• Makes 12 Eccles cakes.
• Enjoy!

EASY ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• The night before, wrap the butter for the pastry in foil and freeze.
• The following day, tip your flour into a big bowl with 2 pinches of salt. Hold the butter block in the foil (peeling back a little at a time as you need), then coarsely grate straight into the bowl of flour, dipping the end of the butter into the flour every so often - this helps to stop all the butter clumping together. Use a round-bladed palette or cutlery knife, and lightly stir together. Stir in about 125ml cold water to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• To make the filling, melt the 50g butter, then mix in the muscovado sugar, currants, mixed peel, zest and spices. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a 20p piece. Use a 15cm cutter to stamp out 6 rounds, re-rolling the trimmings if necessary. Divide the filling equally and place in the middle of each round, then brush the edges with a bit of water. Pull up the edges all around each one and pinch to seal.
• Turn over the cakes so the seam is underneath, and lightly roll with a floured rolling pin to a flat-ish round. Re-shape to a neat round. Whisk the egg white with a fork until frothy. Use a pastry brush to brush it over the tops of the Eccles cakes, then sprinkle heavily with sugar. Slash the top of each cake 2-3 times to allow the steam to escape. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 mins until golden and crisp.

ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• PASTRY: Mix together flour and salt.
• Cut in lard and butter.
• In measuring cup, mix egg and lemon juice; add cold water to make 1/2 cup liquid; beat with fork.
• Stirring with fork, add enough liquid to flour mixture to make soft, slightly sticky dough.
• Wrap and chill for several hours.
• FILLING: Cover currants with boiling water, let stand 5 minutes, then DRAIN.
• Cream butter with sugar; stir in spices and currants.
• Roll out pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 3 1/2 inch rounds.
• Place spoonful of filling (about 2 tsp.) in centre of each, bring up edges of pastry and pinch well to seal.
• Turn over and flatten gently with a rolling pin to make round cakes.
• (Currants should just show below surface.) Place on ungreased baking sheet; brush with egg, and sprinkle with sugar.
• Cut 2 slashes in top of each.
• Bake in 425 F.
• oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Makes about 20 pastries.
• Canadian Living Cookbook.

ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• Place currants, sultanas, white sugar, brown sugar, butter, water, marmalade, mixed spice,and golden syrup in a saucepan.
• Gently bring to the boil, simmer for a minute, stirring constantly.
• Set aside to cool.
• Roll out the pastry; cut into squares about 4 inches square.
• Place a heaped dessert spoon of the mixture in the middle.
• Fold pastry over and gently flatten so that they are about half an inch thick.
• Slash gently 2 or 3 times with a knife.
• Bake on a lined tray in a hot oven for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown.