Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (2024)

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Make these Welsh Cakes with an easy to follow recipe. Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone, packed with spices and sultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar. You'll love these Welsh Breakfast Cakes.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (1)

One of the best parts of living in the London is the sheer number of places that we can go for high tea. It's such a fun British tradition. But it doesn't really start until about 2 PM, andsometimes I just cannot wait until the afternoon.

I first had these Welsh Cakes served ona three tier cake stand during high tea. Since then, I've discovered that I love them during the mornings for breakfast.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (2)

I like to think of these Welsh Breakfast Cakes as finger food pancakes in form. But even better -- with the rich butteriness that normally comes with a scone.

Welsh Cakes have the best attributes of both a pancake and a scone

They look adorable, and can be picked up with one hand and eaten in three dainty bites. For a special brunch, we love these Welsh Breakfast Cakes.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (3)

Griddle Welsh Cake History

But if you aren't familiar with griddle Welsh Cakes, you may wonder what exactly makes a Welsh Cake a Welsh Cake. How is a Welsh Cake different from a pancake, and what is the best way to eat a Welsh Cake?

Welsh Cakes originated in Wales in the late 1800's and are also known as bakestones or griddle scones because they are made on a griddle.

Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone withsultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar.

Indulge at breakfast with this Welsh Cake recipe

Unlike a pancake though, Welsh Breakfast Cakes are buttery and a bit brittlein texture. You should be able to break them in half with the slightest pressure, so you can pick up and eat these with your hands.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (4)

These little griddle Welsh Cakes can be enjoyedplain by themselves, unlike a British scone, which is usually paired with a jam or clotted cream.

Unlike a pancake, these Welsh Breakfast Cakes need no additional maple syrup or topping. Each bite should be filled with just enough sultanas, sweetness and spices.

These Welsh Breakfast Cakes are delicious served on their own with no additional toppings

That being said, there is no hard rule how to eat Welsh Breakfast Cakes. You definitely can eat them with some kind of spread if you prefer.

A thin spread of butter does wonder for these griddle Welsh Cakes. If you have a sweet tooth, you can dip them in maple syrup to give them a more traditional breakfast taste.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (5)

If you're like me and too impatient to wait until the afternoon for high tea, don't be shy and enjoy theselittle Welsh Breakfast Cakes with your morning cup of tea or coffee. Go ahead, treat yourself!

Welsh Breakfast Cakes are perfect with a cup of coffee

And if this post hasn't convinced you to make these griddle Welsh Cakes, here are 18 Reasons Why Welsh Cakes are Literally The Best Food in The Whole Entire World by BuzzFeed.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (6)

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (7)

Griddle Welsh Cakes

4.60 from 27 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Serves: 12 welsh cakes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Make these Welsh Cakes with an easy to follow recipe. Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone, packed with spices and sultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar. You'll love these Welsh Breakfast Cakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter - chilled and cubed
  • ¼ cup currants
  • 1 medium egg
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk (plus extra, as needed)
  • caster sugar (for sprinkling on top)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, mixed spice and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender. You can also use your fingers to rub the butter in, until you get a fine bread crumb consistency. Be careful not to rub the butter too much and melt it. Toss in the currants.

  • In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together.

  • Using a fork, mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture, until just mixed. Use your hands to finish mixing the dough together. It should be short, so don't over mix. The dough should be wet, but not too sticky to handle. Add in more milk as needed.

  • Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium to medium-low heat with a little bit of oil.

  • Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured silicon mat. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until about 1-cm thick. Using a 7-cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can. Combine the remaining dough together, and roll it out again until about 1-cm thick. Cut out as many rounds as you can. Repeat as necessary, but note that with each successive rolling and cutting, the pastry may get over mixed.

  • Once the cast-iron skillet is ready, cook each side of the welsh cakes for 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so that the welsh cake becomes a golden brown with 4 minutes on each side (I switched my induction hob between heat levels 4/9 and 5/9).

  • Transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle them with caster sugar.

Course: Breads and Muffins, Pancakes and Waffles

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Welsh Breakfast Cakes

Special Diet: Vegetarian

Author: The Worktop

Cal : 156kcal

Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Love this?I would appreciate a star review! Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #theworktop and tagging me @theworktop.

Made these Welsh Breakfast Cakes? Pair it with this easy blueberry jam with chia seeds!

« Chorizo and Chickpea Stew with Baked Eggs

Courgette and Pancetta Arancini »

About Tina Jui

A breakfast lover and food blogger. Tina develops everyday breakfast recipes on The Worktop, and writes about all things related to breakfast and brunch. Read more about Tina Jui or drop an email to say hi.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amira says

    Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (9)
    They are really good frozen, then put them in a moderate oven for about 5 to10 mins. They are amazing and as good as when you just make them.

    Reply

  2. Amira says

    Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (10)
    Love them, have made them many times. Great to make in a hurry.
    I use nutmeg, they are beautiful. Thanks so much for the recipe. I'll always find time to make these.

    Reply

  3. Kam says

    Hi what do you think would be a good substitute for the egg in this recipe? I have made your eggless banana bread and it was the best!
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Tina Jui says

      Hi - I haven't tried to make this without egg before so I'm probably not too helpful. But perhaps you could try to substitute the egg with a "flax egg"? It might take some trials, but I would think something along the lines of using 1 tbs ground flax seed and 2 tbs water.

      Reply

  4. mary says

    what is "mixed spice" anyway?

    Reply

    • Tina Jui says

      It's a blend of spices that's commonly used in British baked goods - here it is

      Reply

    • Diana says

      The receipe didn't give amounts, when I looked for it . It's cinnamon coriander, caraway and nutmeg. More cinnamon and less of everything else. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  5. Vanessa says

    Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?

    Reply

  6. Suzanne says

    These look so good! What a fun way to have something a little different for tea time!

    Reply

    • Helen smith says

      I am in USA my daughter always asks me to make her some welsh cakes but I cannot find the spices Thankyou

      Reply

      • Rizza says

        Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (11)
        You can make your own mixed spice. Google it and you probably have all the ing. available. v

        Reply

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Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (2024)

FAQs

Why do my Welsh Cakes go hard? ›

Why did my Welsh cakes turn out hard, dry or crumbly? If your Welsh Cakes turned out hard, dry or crumbly, your mixture was probably not wet enough. Next time, add a little bit of milk so the mix is softer.

What is the difference between a Welsh cake and a scone? ›

Welsh cakes are made with plain flour, eggs and shortening and don't rise much. Scones are made with self-raising flour, no eggs, no shortening and rise a lot if done right. Welsh cakes tend to be flatter, more like thick pancakes.

What is the best way to eat Welsh Cakes? ›

How to serve your Welsh cakes. I suggest eating these warm, either straightaway or reheated in the toaster. Traditionally I believe these are eaten just as they are, or of course you can add a topping such as butter or jam. I'm thinking now that peanut butter might work on these too, or even chocolate spread!

What are Welsh Cakes called in England? ›

Welsh cake
Home-made Welsh cakes
Alternative namesBakestones
Serving temperatureHot or cold
Main ingredientsFlour, sultanas, raisins, and/or currants
VariationsLlech Cymreig, jam split
2 more rows

How do you make a cake firmer? ›

Add structure. On their own, boxed cake mixes have a structure that's loose and airy. But if you add ¼ cup flour or half a box of instant pudding mix, the texture of the cake becomes denser and tighter, ideal for a pound-cake-like consistency that will hold the shape of a Bundt pan.

How do I stop my cake from hardening? ›

The heat is cooking the outer layer too quickly. You may have your oven temperature set too high. You could try turning the heat down to low, and cooking for a longer period. You can also cover the cake with tin foil before you bake to protect the surface from the intense heat while the center cooks.

How do you know when a Welsh cake is cooked? ›

Welsh Cakes are fully cooked when they have turned golden brown on both sides, yet the insides of the cakes are still soft (but not doughy). A sprinkle of granulated white sugar or powdered immediately after cooking adds a nice touch, or they can be served plain, buttered, or with clotted cream and jam.

Do you eat Welsh Cakes hot or cold? ›

Welsh cakes can be eaten hot or cold, though the vast majority of Welsh people will tell you how to eat Welsh cakes is eating them while they're still warm. You can heat them up easily in a pan, toaster oven, standard oven, or even your microwave.

Do you toast Welsh Cakes? ›

Do not be deceived by their rustic appearance. These pan cooked cakes are melt in the mouth delicious and incredibly more-ish. Serve them warm (you can toast them!) with a healthy spread of butter!

Do Welsh Cakes need to be refrigerated? ›

You can make the dough, roll and cut out the welsh cakes and refrigerate for a day if you need. Take them out of the fridge in time to lose a bit of chill before griddling them. MAKE AHEAD / STORE: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 5 days.

What is the shelf life of Welsh Cakes? ›

For Welsh Cakes and Scones, we suggest eating within 3.5 weeks if unrefrigerated. 4.5 weeks if refrigerated and 20 weeks or more if frozen.

What is the best Welsh cake brand? ›

Tan Y Castell Welshcakes have won numerous awards and are recognised for their taste and quality, resulting in them now being one of the best-selling Welsh cakes on the market. They are soft, moist and crammed with the finest vine fruits.

Why are my Welsh cakes dry? ›

The addition of milk helps take the Welsh Cakes ingredients from dry to dough. The recipe states 1-2 tablespoons but you can use a little bit more if your dough feels too dry. Dairy milk is what would traditionally be used but you can of course experiment with different milks, should you wish to omit the dairy.

What is the most popular dessert in Wales? ›

Welsh cakes

Perhaps the best-loved of all Welsh treats, these small, circular cakes are dusted in sugar and provide the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea. Traditionally cooked on a bakestone, Welsh cakes can also contain sultanas and chocolate chips for a sweeter twist on the original recipe.

Why is my cake turning hard? ›

If your cake is hard, the problem probably lies in the beating. The butter must be beaten well in the early stages to give the mixture enough air for a light and fluffy texture. To achieve this the butter must be lukewarm and therefore not too hard.

How do you fix a dry hard cake? ›

The 4 Best Ways to Fix a Dry Cake
  1. Brush the cake with a simple syrup glaze.
  2. Soak your cake in milk or cream.
  3. Add frosting.
  4. Fill your cake with mousse or jam.
May 14, 2023

Why do biscuits go soft and cakes go hard? ›

Biscuits are essentially dried cakes, so absorb ambient moisture. Cakes are much more moist, so evaporate water to the surrounding air. Just eat and enjoy. Biscuits start out with a very low moisture content of between 1 and 3 per cent, depending on the type, whereas this is around 15 to 30 per cent for cakes.

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