Dr Mobeus
Welsh Cakes
Welsh cakes are cooked on a griddle rather than in the oven, which is what makes them special: a speckled golden crust outside, a soft scone-like middle studded with currants and mixed spice. They were made on the bakestone over the fire, one of the quickest and cheapest teatime bakes going, and the whole batch costs about £1.50 for twelve cakes. The trick is patience with the heat: too hot and the outside scorches before the middle cooks, too cool and they turn pale and dry. Eaten warm from the rack with a dusting of sugar, they beat anything from a packet.
Welsh Cakes
Ingredients
Method
- Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar, currants and mixed spice.
- Add the beaten egg and enough of the milk to bring it together into a soft dough that is firm enough to roll. Handle it lightly, like a scone mix.
- Roll out on a floured surface to about 1 cm thick and cut into rounds with a 6 to 7 cm cutter. Re-roll the trimmings until you have about 12 cakes.
- Heat a flat griddle or heavy frying pan over a low to medium heat and wipe with a little butter. Cook the cakes for about 4 minutes per side until golden with a mottled brown speckle, adjusting the heat so they cook through without burning.
- Cool slightly on a wire rack and dust generously with caster sugar while still warm. Best eaten the same day, split and buttered.
Tips and Variations
The dough freezes well, so cut the cakes and freeze them raw on a tray, then cook from frozen with an extra minute each side. Sultanas or chopped dried apricots work instead of currants, and a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg in place of mixed spice is fine. Leftover cakes split, buttered and lightly toasted the next morning are a breakfast worth getting up for.
