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Welsh Cakes
5 from 22 votes

Welsh Cakes

Welsh Cakes are tender, lightly spiced griddle cakes made from a dough containing flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cold butter, currants, eggs, and milk. They are rolled out, cut into rounds, and cooked on a medium heat skillet or griddle until golden brown on both sides. These slightly sweet cakes have a dense, crumbly texture and a warm spice note from nutmeg.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Servings: 18 cakes
Course: Dessert, Breakfast, Brunch

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup butter unsalted, cold, cut into small pieces, quantity 2 sticks
  • 3/4 cup currants
  • 2 eggs milk quantity enough to make 3/4 cup liquid
  • sugar extra sugar; for dusting, optional
  • nutmeg
  • cinnamon

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.
  2. With your hands, mix the cold butter into the flour mixture until the butter is well dispersed and the whole mixture is crumbly. It's ok to have some small chunks of butter.
  3. Add the currants and mix to combine.
  4. Briefly whisk the eggs with the milk, and add the liquid to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until everything is just combined. The dough will be very sticky.
  5. On a floured surface, pat the dough into a disk and gently roll out until it's about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick. You can divide the dough in half and keep half of it in the fridge until you're ready for it if your rolling surface and frying pan/griddle are on the smaller side.
  6. Cut out the cakes with a 3 or 3 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, and lay them on a baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper until you're ready to cook them.
  7. Preheat a heavy pan or griddle (cast iron works great here because of its even heating) to medium/medium-low heat, and dry fry (no oil) the cakes. They'll need about 2 or 2 and a half minutes or so on each side. You'll want to make sure your pan is the right temperature so they don't burn on the outside before they get cooked through in the middle, so you might need to do a test-cake or two. Cook them until they're lightly golden and spring back when gently touched.
  8. Mix a tablespoon or two of extra sugar with a pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon, and dust the finished cakes, if desired. Serve warm with butter, jam, clotted cream, or eat them as is!

Notes

  • You can reduce the sugar to about two-thirds cup if you prefer less sweetness without affecting the texture.
  • Use a cast iron griddle or heavy pan for even heating and best results during cooking.
  • Keep half of the dough chilled if you prefer to cook the cakes in batches and have limited workspace.
  • Dust Welsh Cakes with extra sugar after cooking if desired for added sweetness and texture contrast.