Welsh Cakes are quite possibly the most delicious cakes of all time. If you are one of our followers, you will know that at Babi Bw we are passionate about Wales. Everything we do has Wales at the heart of it. We make all of our 100% organic cotton baby clothes and products at our cottage workshop in Caldicot, Wales. We employ staff who are either Welsh or live in Wales and all of our manufacturing is done using Welsh materials and machinery. Even our designs our Welsh inspired. It goes without saying, therefore, that we are passionate about Welsh food too and our humble Welsh cake is about as Welsh as food gets.
If you have never heard of a Welsh cake or been lucky enough to try one, then keep reading as you are about to find out more than you ever thought you would about these tasty Welsh delights.
As you might have guessed, Welsh cakes are from Wales and date back to the 19th century. With Wales being a country steeped with a history of mining and the largest producer of coal, it won’t be a surprise to know that these little cakes were made at home by the ladies of the house for the men to have whilst working. As a pretty tough little cake, they were easy to transport around without crumbling before the miners had their break and got to eat them. Of course, it wouldn’t be fair for them to be exclusively for the miners so they were often used as a treat for afternoon tea or for the children to take with them to school. Even now, Welsh cakes are a passion of the Welsh people and seen as a treat. You can buy them in the Welsh supermarkets, farm shops or independent shops but nothing quite beats a warm homemade Welsh cake. They filling the house with homely smells and delight family members with your efforts.
So, what exactly is a Welsh cake?
Just like making a pancake, Welsh cakes are made on a griddle and use ingredients you are likely to have in your food cupboard at home. Griddles are often passed down through families, making the use of them to bake Welsh cakes even more special. To make them, you need flour, baking powder, eggs, butter and caster sugar. You can also use mixed spices and dried fruits. The method is fairly simple too. If you want to see what they are like, check out our reel where Lauren bakes them.
Welsh Cake Recipe
To make your own, all you need to do is follow the instructions below:
Ingredients
110g/4oz (preferably Welsh) salted butter, chilled, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved, plus extra for dusting
85g/3oz caster sugar
1 handful of sultanas, raisins or other dried fruit
1 free-range egg, beaten
Milk, if needed
Method
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the butter and rub with your fingers until crumbly.
- Mix in the dried fruit
- Add the milk and eggs and mix until combined.
- Roll out the mixture on a floured surface and cut out the shapes you want (about 3/4 inches thick).
- Heat a skillet and dry fry each side for around 2.5 minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through.
- Let cool on a wire rack, sprinkle with sugar, and try them whilst they are still warm.
Once they have cooled, you can dust them with fine sugar. They are delicious with a cup of tea too so don’t forget to boil the kettle whilst they are cooling. You can of course eat them cold or warm them up later in the griddle, toaster, oven and even the microwave. For an extra indulgent treat, you can add some butter and jam.
We would love to see your finished Welsh cakes and to know what you think of them. Tag us with your photos on our Instagram Page to be featured in our stories.
