I don’t know what first prompted to make these, but my boyfriends from Wales (even though he has lived here in Melbourne since he was 8 and has an Aussie accent) funny, thinking he was fluent in Welsh as a little boy…..but I wanted to see if he’d had these. Maybe the taste would spark off a distant memory or help to take him back to a certain time…he answers my questions rarely as his memory isn’t the best but I love the snippets I get every now and then (mostly from his mum).
I’m from Surrey, which is the South East of England, on the border to greater London – so when I met this Aussie sounding fella, it was weird to discover our dads worked together at the same bank….so we could have danced (or wobbled) at Christmas parties together……
I’ll tell you now my plan failed me – but he did like them very much and so did his office. They are best eaten with butter and jam or cream as not too dissimilar to a scone. Perfect for making with kids as they are so simple and fun to make too.
I’ll stop waffling on, as I’m in that mood……
Ingredients Makes about 15
- 225g plain flour
- 85g caster sugar
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 50g butter, cut into small chunks
- 50g lard cut into small chunks, plus extra for frying
- 65g currants
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Splash of milk (possible)
Method
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Add the butter and lard and rub between your fingers (as if making a crumble) until like rough breadcrumbs.
Mix in the currants and then the egg (I used my hands) but a wooden spoon would suffice, until you have a soft dough. Add a splash of milk if too dry (be careful, only 1 tsp). I didn’t need milk (probably because I used a large egg), but you want the dough to be like short crust pastry.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out your dough so it’s about the thickness of your little finger. Cut out rounds, using a 6cm cutter and place on a sheet of baking paper. Re-roll and cut any trimmings so nothing is wasted.
Grease a heavy frying pan with lard and place over a medium heat. Cook the cakes in batches for about 3 minutes each side until golden brown and cooked through (careful turning as they can easily break).
That’s it! Great served warm but also keep well in a tin for about 1 week (if they last that long).
The Travelling Pantry 
Love how elegant these look!
haha, I suppose it depends on how you eat them! Thanks though….
These look delish! I want to try these! I’d love to have these with tea. They totally seem like a UKesque treat!
these babies cry out for tea, match made in heaven!
I love Welsh cakes! I used to eat them all the time when I lived in Wales. Definitely going to use this recipe to make some!
They look delicious, not made welsh cakes in a long time and you’ve now put me in the mood to make some!!
Wonder why there called Welsh cakes? You’ve made them look ” mouth watering”
Wow, they look delicious,
I’ve been looking for a recipe for these for ages! I spent 2 weeks in Snowdonian munching on these beauties!
Lucky you, Bring back elevencies I say!
These looks super cute, and I love that you put jam on them.
Thanks, I think I’ll always lather on the jam from this day on….
Such beautiful photos!
These do look like the perfect weekend breakfast food. thanks.
Oh my… these look perfectly wonderful. I can’t wait to try them!!
yum, they look like a cross between a scone and a pikelet – perfect after school snack!
These look gorgeous, like little pan fried currant buns.
Love Welsh Cakes, but as a veggie wouldn’t use Lard. Lovely photos.
Oh, I used to (and that means a few decades ago) make something like this here in the US called Gold Rush Griddle Cakes, although my old recipe card calls them cookies. My recipe uses raisins and no spice. I like the spice idea. Here’s the exact recipe as what I have on my card: http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/bread/other-bread/gold-rush-griddle-cakes.html
The idea of Welsh Cakes must have been transplanted here.
I’m in Minnesota, USA and I don’t recognize “mixed spice.” Is that a mixture of cardamom or … ?