Traditional Welsh Cakes for a teatime treat
I love Welsh Cakes, which are a traditional Welsh dish. They are soft, buttery, not too sweet and slightly salty, warmly spiced, and filled with dried fruit. The first one straight off the griddle is definitely the best cook’s perk! They make the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa, and one is never enough. Find out how to make them with this simple and traditional Welsh cake recipe.
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Cake or biscuit or what?
What is a Welsh cake? Well they are definitely not a biscuit, as they are soft. But the dough needs to be rolled out and cut, as with a biscuit. They are definitely not a scone, as they are much thinner. But they have a similar buttery texture. They are not really a cake, as they are not light and fluffy like a sponge. But they are a bit cake-like. They are not a pancake, but you cook them on a bake stone, griddle, or pan on the hob. The only way you can decide, is to make my traditional Welsh cakes, using this recipe, and then you can tell me what they are!
A few simple ingredients to make a delicious batch of traditional Welsh Cakes
Self raising flour, salted butter, spice, sugar, dried fruit, and a beaten egg to bind – that’s all you need to make Welsh cakes! Mix the flour and butter as if you are making a crumble, add the spice, sugar and dried fruit, and stir in an egg to combine to a firm dough. Allow to rest, then roll out and cut into circles with a cookie cutter, and cook on a hot pan on the hob for a few minutes each side.
Sprinkle the cooked Welsh cakes with sugar and eat immediately!
Perfect for special Welsh occasions
As you know, Andrew is Welsh, so he loves me making traditional Welsh cakes for special Welsh occasions such as St David’s Day (1 March), Welsh rugby matches, Dydd Santes Dwynwen (Welsh Valentines day on 25 January), and basically any time he is feeling nostalgic for home! I also make them for guests who aren’t familiar with traditional Welsh treats, and they are always converted.
Traditional Welsh Cakes recipe – handy hints on ingredients
Give my Welsh cakes recipe a try and let me know what you think. It’s a very forgiving recipe, so remember you can replace salted butter with unsalted plus a pinch of salt; my preferred sultanas can be replaced with currants or any dried fruit of choice (or chocolate chips!); although mixed spice (also known as pumpkin spice in the USA) is my absolute favourite, you could use cinnamon and nutmeg instead.
Just as good the next day (if you have any left)
Although nothing beats a Welsh cake hot off the griddle, I find these Welsh cakes last for a couple of days if you store them in an airtight container. Don’t leave them that long though, just eat them!
Traditional Welsh cakes recipe
Equipment
- Griddle, bakestone, or frying pan
Ingredients
- 250 g self raising flour
- 125 g salted butter
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 100 g sultanas
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tsp butter to lightly grease the pan
- 1 tbsp caster sugar to sprinkle on top of the cooked Welsh cakes
Instructions
- Dice the butter and mix it in to the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar, mixed spice and sultanas to the mixture.
- Add the beaten egg and bring the mixture together to form a dough.
- Allow to rest in the fridge for around 20 minutes, then roll out the dough to around 5 mm thick, and put a griddle or frying pan on a low heat on the hob.
- Cut into rounds using a biscuit cutter.
- Smear a small amount of butter in the hot pan to ensure no Welsh cakes stick.
- Cook each welsh cakes for around 4 minutes each side on a low heat, until golden brown.
- Sprinkle the cooked Welsh cake with caster sugar and serve immediately.
Other traditional Welsh recipes to try
If you liked my traditional Welsh cakes recipe, why not give one of these other traditional Welsh recipes a try?