AI-generated image
Welsh cakes
Picau ar y maen: griddle cakes with currants
Welsh cakes, picau ar y maen or 'cakes on the stone', are cooked on a cast-iron bakestone in kitchens across Wales and sold warm at markets and rugby matches, and they are a must on St David's Day, 1 March. The dough is like a rich scone with currants and mixed spice, and they are dusted with sugar while hot. Chef's tip: keep the heat medium-low; they need time for the middle to cook before the outside darkens.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 18
Ingredients
- 8 oz self-raising flour
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 ⅞ oz buttercold, diced
- 2 ⅝ oz caster sugarplus extra to dust
- 2 ⅛ oz currants
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 tbsp milk
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rub the 3 ⅞ oz butter into the 8 oz self-raising flour, ½ tsp mixed spice and 1 pinch salt until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the 2 ⅝ oz caster sugar and 2 ⅛ oz currants.
6 minStep 3: Roll out 6 mm thick on a floured worktop and cut 6 cm rounds.
5 minStep 4: Heat a bakestone or heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat and grease very lightly. Cook the cakes in batches for 2–3 minutes a side, until golden brown and risen and the sides no longer look damp. A common mistake is a too-hot pan, which leaves raw centres.
15 minStep 5: Dust with caster sugar while warm and eat the same day.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does welsh cakes take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 18 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of self-raising flour?
- Plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder per 150g (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Reform tortaWalnut meringue chocolate cake
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.
Ma'amoulDate and walnut butter pastries
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
Custard sauce
Proper pouring custard made the easy way with custard powder. It's thick, smooth and lightly sweet, just right with apple pie, crumbles, fruit salad and trifle. Serve it warm, or chill it for trifles.