The 1st March marks St David’s Day (the patron saint of Wales), so what better time to make a batch of Welsh cakes. Welsh cakes are incredibly easy to make, ideally on a traditional griddle, but if you don't have one a heavy frying pan can be used instead. Be very careful if you use a modern non-stick pan, as they can burn when cooked this way. They can be made in under half an hour and any that are not eaten on the day can be popped into the school or office lunch box as a treat the next day, although like all scone-style bakes, they are always better eaten warm on the same day.
INGREDIENTS
- 225g of self-raising flour, or 225g plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 100g of butter plus extra for cooking
- 50g of caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 50g of currants
- 1 egg, beaten with 3 tbsp milk
METHOD
- Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl and rub in the margarine or butter.
- Add the sugar and currants and stir well
- Pour the egg mixture in and mix until you have a stiff dough
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board until 5mm (1/4 inch) thickness and stamp out rounds with a pastry/biscuit cutter
- Heat the griddle over a medium heat until hot and grease with a little butter – the baking griddle should be well-greased, and then heated until a little water sprinkled on the surface skips about in balls, evaporating. A heavy cast iron frying pan makes a good substitute.
- Cook the cakes for about 3 to 4 minutes each side, until they are golden brown and have risen slightly
- Serve immediately sprinkled with a little extra caster sugar