Welsh Cakes are a traditional welsh treat eaten in abundance in Wales on 1st March as we celebrate St David’s Day. Cooked on a bake stone or griddle, they are lightly spiced, dotted with sultanas and dusted in sugar. Similar in texture to a flat scone they are delicious, especially when enjoyed with a cup of tea.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g Plain Flour (plus extra for rolling out the dough)
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 75g Granulated Sugar (plus extra for dusting when baked)
- 1/2 tsp Mixed Spice
- 85g Unsalted Butter, cubed
- 1 Egg, beaten
- 50g Sultanas
Makes approximately 7 welsh cakes using an 8cm cutter or 24 using a 5cm cutter
METHOD
- Into a bowl add the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice. Stir it all together.
- Add in your unsalted butter and, using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you have a fine, breadcumb like consistency.
- Beat the egg and add it to the bowl, then start to mix it together until you get a rough dough.
- Add the sultanas and gently knead the dough to distribute them through.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of around 1cm and cut out as many circles as you can.
- Gather up the leftover dough, roll out again and cut out more cakes. Keep repeating until all the dough is used up.
- Heat up your bakestone (griddle or frying pan) over a medium heat and gently place your welsh cakes on. Leaving space between each one so you can easily turn them.
- Bake for around 4-5 minutes until the bottom has browned, then flip. Bake for another 4-5 minutes until browned on both sides.
- Remove from the bake stone and dust with sugar. Repeat as needed until all cakes are cooked.
Ideally, serve or eat while still warm. If 7 welsh cakes isn’t enough, the recipe can be easily doubled
MAKE IT A MINDFUL MOMENT
Making your Welsh Cake dough is a perfect chance to have a mindful moment, as no machinery needs to be involved. While rubbing the butter into the flour pay attention to how the mixture feels between your fingers and how it changes as the butter and flour combine. Notice the smell, can you identify any individual spices?
BAKE WITH INTENTION
While mixed spice and sultanas are the traditional ingredients, there are now a wide range of flavours available on the market. Why not try swapping out the sultanas for chocolate chips and mixed spice for vanilla? You could try cranberries or lemon zest and white chocolate chips. I love experimenting with flavours and, once you have the basic recipe down, it is easy to add your own twist. It’s also a great recipe for adding your own intentions by using different ingredients or cutting them out in different shapes.
