We love a Welsh cake at GBF. It’s almost impossible to describe the texture – somewhere between a scone, shortbread and shortcake – firm, but a touch crumbly and soft. Their origins, it’s said, go back to around the 19th Century, when their humble ingredients were combined and cooked on hot hearth stones or griddle pans by loving wives, mothers and daughters for Welsh miners – the cakes being easily portable.⠀
Some of our favourites are made by Fabulous Welshcakes in Cardiff, who have locations opposite the castle and down at Mermaid Quay – just follow the scent of butter, sugar and spice.⠀
We’ve infused ours with the flavour of another traditional Welsh bake – bara brith. And if you want to try the best version of that, we heartily recommend a trip to the lovely Belle Vue Tearoom in Newport for a slice of Jan’s sticky, gorgeous, seriously fruity bara brith – a Gold winner in the GBF Awards.
Ingredients (makes about 24)
- 250g self-raising flour
- 50g caster sugar (and more for sprinkling later)
- 25g dark brown sugar
- 115g salted butter, at room temperature
- 1tsp mixed spice
- 1 medium egg
- Splash of milk
- 75g sultanas or raisins soaked in hot Earl Grey tea overnight or for at least 3 hours
- Unsalted butter for cooking
- Plain flour for rolling
Method
1. Line baking sheets and sprinkle liberally with caster sugar.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, spice and butter with your fingertips until you have breadcrumbs.
3. Add the egg, splash of milk and soaked fruit, pressing it together. Pour in a little more milk if you need to, so it holds into a firm dough – it shouldn’t be damp.
4. On a floured surface, roll the dough to around 5mm thick and cut out 7cm circles.
5. Melt a little butter in a thick-based frying pan or flat griddle. Take to a medium to low temperature and lay a few Welsh cakes on top. Keep an eye on them as they can go from ‘ready’ to charred very quickly. Give them 3 minutes per side initially. You want them to be golden in places and firm in the middle. A little softness at the edges isn’t too much of a problem as they’ll firm up as they cool.
6. Once cooked, remove to your trays and coat in sugar. Cook the rest of the cakes. Serve with a drizzle of honey and clotted cream!
