Welsh Cakes Recipe
FOOD | RECIPE
Fortnum's Welsh Cakes
Known as ‘picau ar y maen’ in Welsh, meaning ‘cakes on the stone’ (they were originally cooked on a heated bakestone), these are incredibly easy to make (perfect for children too), endlessly versatile and deeply delicious. You can serve them hot or cold, with butter, jam or ice cream, as a mid-morning snack, or as a stand-alone pudding. Welsh cakes will never let you down.
Ingredients
MAKES 20
425g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
a pinch of salt
120g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes, plus extra for frying
120g lard or vegetable shortening, cut into cubes
175g caster sugar
120g raisins
2 eggs, beaten
30ml whole milk
1
Sift the flour, baking powder, allspice and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening to the flour mixture and rub together with clean fingertips for 5–7 minutes, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2
Next, stir in the sugar and raisins and combine.
3
Mix the eggs and milk together, then pour into the mixture and stir until it forms a stiff dough.
4
Bring the dough together with your hands in the mixing bowl until it forms a ball. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a thickness of 11⁄2cm.
5
Flour a 6cm round cutter and cut 20 rounds from the dough. Melt a knob of butter in a heavy- bottomed frying pan over a medium heat.
6
The fry the rounds in batches of four for 3–4 minutes on each side, until crisp, golden and delicious.
7
Serve warm, with your favourite Fortnum's Tea. These will keep in an airtight container for up to a week, simply reheat gently in a pan before serving.
Perfectly Paired With...
Possibly our most famous tea, Royal Blend was first created in 1902 by request of King Edward. A deliciously malty, honey-like sip, it’s perfectly paired to our Welsh Cakes.