These buttery, spicy cakes are one of the things I really look forward to when visiting my family in Wales. They’re also sometimes called bakestones, named for the cast iron griddle that you traditionally use to cook them.
To make 6 to 8 cakes, you will need:
- 110 g of plain flour
- 40 g of caster sugar
- 25 g of butter (you can use plant-based alternatives, but I’ve not tested this)
- 25G of lard (you can substitute by doubling the butter or similar, if you need to)
- 1 egg
- 25 g of dried fruit (ideally currants but you could experiment)
- A large pinch of mixed spice
- A pinch of salt
Directions:
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
- Break the butter and lard into pieces and add to the mixture.
- Rub it in until you get a crumbly consistency.
- Add the dried fruit and mix it through.
- Beat the egg and add it to the bowl, working the mixture until you have a dough. You can bind it together with a little milk if needed.
- Roll the dough out as if you were making cookies. It should be about the thickness of your little finger.
- Cut them out using a cookie or scone cutter. Remember to reroll the bits around the edges as you may be able to get more cakes out of it.
- Grease a frying pan or griddle pan with butter (or similar) and put it on a low to medium heat.
- Cook the cakes in the pan, giving each side around 3 minutes. They should be golden brown.
- You can eat them as they come (my preferred way), butter them or spread them with jam