Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (2024)

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Make these Welsh Cakes with an easy to follow recipe. Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone, packed with spices and sultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar. You'll love these Welsh Breakfast Cakes.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (1)

One of the best parts of living in the London is the sheer number of places that we can go for high tea. It's such a fun British tradition. But it doesn't really start until about 2 PM, andsometimes I just cannot wait until the afternoon.

I first had these Welsh Cakes served ona three tier cake stand during high tea. Since then, I've discovered that I love them during the mornings for breakfast.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (2)

I like to think of these Welsh Breakfast Cakes as finger food pancakes in form. But even better -- with the rich butteriness that normally comes with a scone.

Welsh Cakes have the best attributes of both a pancake and a scone

They look adorable, and can be picked up with one hand and eaten in three dainty bites. For a special brunch, we love these Welsh Breakfast Cakes.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (3)

Griddle Welsh Cake History

But if you aren't familiar with griddle Welsh Cakes, you may wonder what exactly makes a Welsh Cake a Welsh Cake. How is a Welsh Cake different from a pancake, and what is the best way to eat a Welsh Cake?

Welsh Cakes originated in Wales in the late 1800's and are also known as bakestones or griddle scones because they are made on a griddle.

Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone withsultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar.

Indulge at breakfast with this Welsh Cake recipe

Unlike a pancake though, Welsh Breakfast Cakes are buttery and a bit brittlein texture. You should be able to break them in half with the slightest pressure, so you can pick up and eat these with your hands.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (4)

These little griddle Welsh Cakes can be enjoyedplain by themselves, unlike a British scone, which is usually paired with a jam or clotted cream.

Unlike a pancake, these Welsh Breakfast Cakes need no additional maple syrup or topping. Each bite should be filled with just enough sultanas, sweetness and spices.

These Welsh Breakfast Cakes are delicious served on their own with no additional toppings

That being said, there is no hard rule how to eat Welsh Breakfast Cakes. You definitely can eat them with some kind of spread if you prefer.

A thin spread of butter does wonder for these griddle Welsh Cakes. If you have a sweet tooth, you can dip them in maple syrup to give them a more traditional breakfast taste.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (5)

If you're like me and too impatient to wait until the afternoon for high tea, don't be shy and enjoy theselittle Welsh Breakfast Cakes with your morning cup of tea or coffee. Go ahead, treat yourself!

Welsh Breakfast Cakes are perfect with a cup of coffee

And if this post hasn't convinced you to make these griddle Welsh Cakes, here are 18 Reasons Why Welsh Cakes are Literally The Best Food in The Whole Entire World by BuzzFeed.

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (6)

Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (7)

Griddle Welsh Cakes

4.60 from 27 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Serves: 12 welsh cakes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Make these Welsh Cakes with an easy to follow recipe. Think of a mini pancake or flat circular scone, packed with spices and sultanas/raisins, and dusted with caster sugar. You'll love these Welsh Breakfast Cakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter - chilled and cubed
  • ¼ cup currants
  • 1 medium egg
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk (plus extra, as needed)
  • caster sugar (for sprinkling on top)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, mixed spice and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender. You can also use your fingers to rub the butter in, until you get a fine bread crumb consistency. Be careful not to rub the butter too much and melt it. Toss in the currants.

  • In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together.

  • Using a fork, mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture, until just mixed. Use your hands to finish mixing the dough together. It should be short, so don't over mix. The dough should be wet, but not too sticky to handle. Add in more milk as needed.

  • Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium to medium-low heat with a little bit of oil.

  • Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured silicon mat. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until about 1-cm thick. Using a 7-cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can. Combine the remaining dough together, and roll it out again until about 1-cm thick. Cut out as many rounds as you can. Repeat as necessary, but note that with each successive rolling and cutting, the pastry may get over mixed.

  • Once the cast-iron skillet is ready, cook each side of the welsh cakes for 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so that the welsh cake becomes a golden brown with 4 minutes on each side (I switched my induction hob between heat levels 4/9 and 5/9).

  • Transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle them with caster sugar.

Course: Breads and Muffins, Pancakes and Waffles

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Welsh Breakfast Cakes

Special Diet: Vegetarian

Author: The Worktop

Cal : 156kcal

Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Love this?I would appreciate a star review! Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #theworktop and tagging me @theworktop.

Made these Welsh Breakfast Cakes? Pair it with this easy blueberry jam with chia seeds!

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About Tina Jui

A breakfast lover and food blogger. Tina develops everyday breakfast recipes on The Worktop, and writes about all things related to breakfast and brunch. Read more about Tina Jui or drop an email to say hi.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amira says

    Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (9)
    They are really good frozen, then put them in a moderate oven for about 5 to10 mins. They are amazing and as good as when you just make them.

    Reply

  2. Amira says

    Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (10)
    Love them, have made them many times. Great to make in a hurry.
    I use nutmeg, they are beautiful. Thanks so much for the recipe. I'll always find time to make these.

    Reply

  3. Kam says

    Hi what do you think would be a good substitute for the egg in this recipe? I have made your eggless banana bread and it was the best!
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Tina Jui says

      Hi - I haven't tried to make this without egg before so I'm probably not too helpful. But perhaps you could try to substitute the egg with a "flax egg"? It might take some trials, but I would think something along the lines of using 1 tbs ground flax seed and 2 tbs water.

      Reply

  4. mary says

    what is "mixed spice" anyway?

    Reply

    • Tina Jui says

      It's a blend of spices that's commonly used in British baked goods - here it is

      Reply

    • Diana says

      The receipe didn't give amounts, when I looked for it . It's cinnamon coriander, caraway and nutmeg. More cinnamon and less of everything else. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  5. Vanessa says

    Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?

    Reply

  6. Suzanne says

    These look so good! What a fun way to have something a little different for tea time!

    Reply

    • Helen smith says

      I am in USA my daughter always asks me to make her some welsh cakes but I cannot find the spices Thankyou

      Reply

      • Rizza says

        Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (11)
        You can make your own mixed spice. Google it and you probably have all the ing. available. v

        Reply

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Welsh Cakes Recipe - easy to follow recipe | The Worktop (2024)

FAQs

What pan is best for Welsh cakes? ›

This Welsh cakes recipe, which follows a classic recipe and is cooked on a griddle, is hard to beat. Whip up a batch for St. David's Day – they are incredibly easy to make and if you don't have a traditional griddle, then a heavy cast iron frying pan can be used instead.

Why are my Welsh cakes so dry? ›

The consistency needs to be bound together, so if too dry add another egg.

Should Welsh cakes be eaten hot or cold? ›

Welsh cakes can be eaten hot or cold, though the vast majority of Welsh people will tell you how to eat Welsh cakes is eating them while they're still warm. You can heat them up easily in a pan, toaster oven, standard oven, or even your microwave.

How were Welsh cakes made? ›

Baking them on a bakestone over an open fire may be regarded as the most general practice throughout the county. The Welsh names given to the cakes were usually based on the Welsh name for the bakestone, and these included pice ar y mân, tishan ar y mân and tishen lechwan.

Should Welsh cakes be toasted? ›

Cakes may be eaten straight from the package however most people prefer them warmed. Warming takes 8-10 seconds for one cake in a 1500W microwave, 10-12 seconds for a whole pack. If heating in an oven, 2-3 mins @ 275 will usually do. Some folks tell us they toast the cakes and we like that too.

What is the slang for Welsh cakes? ›

Pica Bach or Pice Bach

These were general terms used for Welsh cakes, and refer to the food as being 'small cakes'. They can also be called 'pican' or 'picen' and were called these in Carmarthenshire, Aberystwyth and the old West Glamorgan (Swansea and Neath Port Talbot today).

Why do my Welsh cakes burn? ›

Getting the temperature of your griddle or bakestone correct is the key to this Welsh cake recipe. If it's too hot the cakes will burn before they are cooked through. Too low and the texture will be dry.

Do Welsh cakes need to be refrigerated? ›

You can make the dough, roll and cut out the welsh cakes and refrigerate for a day if you need. Take them out of the fridge in time to lose a bit of chill before griddling them. MAKE AHEAD / STORE: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 5 days.

How can I moisten my fruitcake? ›

Here are five tips for how to moisten a dry cake once it's already been baked.
  1. Brush with simple syrup glaze. Velez recommends adding a simple syrup glaze to your cake layers if they end up coming out too dry. ...
  2. Soak your cake in milk. ...
  3. Fill the cake with mousse or jam. ...
  4. Frost the cake. ...
  5. Stick it in the fridge.
Apr 27, 2021

What are some interesting facts about Welsh Cakes? ›

They were usually cooked on a bakestone and the Welsh names given to these cakes were usually based on the different regional Welsh name for the bakestone. These included pice bach, tishan lechwan or tishan ar y mân (bakestone cakes), but in English they became known generally as Welsh Cakes.

What do you eat with Welsh Cakes? ›

Everyone likes to eat their welsh cakes differently and you should know that if you are talking to us there is no wrong or right way. Enjoy them with sugar, butter, plain, jam, cream, or even chocolate spread and marshmallow – the point of a welsh cake is that is makes you feel warm and cosy for a little minute.

What is the difference between a Welsh cake and a scone? ›

When you look at this recipe you will see how similar it is to a scone. The only real difference is that less milk is used in the Welsh Cake batter because you want a dough that can be easily rolled and cut into rounds.

What plank for Welsh Cakes? ›

A traditional Welsh Bakestone, also known as a Planc, (12 inch / 30 cm diameter and 10mm thick) is used to bake authentic regional recipes on such as welsh cakes, teisen lap, bara brith, crempog, breads, scones, cakes, pies, pancakes, tarts and biscuits etc.

What is the national dessert of Wales? ›

Bara brith: our traditional Welsh recipe

Bara Brith is a rich fruit loaf made with tea. Here's our recipe for making this favourite Welsh tea-time treat.

Is an Eccles cake a Welsh cake? ›

Eccles cakes are a Lancashire food tradition, with similar cakes being found in other parts of the County of Lancashire, and are traditionally eaten with Lancashire cheese.

What type of pan is best for baking a cake? ›

You can use a variety of different pans to make cakes: loaf pans, bundt pans, cupcake pans and even 9x13 casserole dishes. Though, when making a layer cake or other classic shapes, you'll need a solid round cake pan.

Does it matter what cake pan you use? ›

Some cake pans have perfectly perpendicular sides while others have a slight slope, which can affect how the batter bakes up, the extent of browning at the edges, and the overall shape. There are cake pans that are truly non-stick, and others that just claim to be.

What kind of pan do you use for a cake? ›

A set of two round layer-cake pans is essential; our material of choice is light-colored aluminum. Layer cake recipes nearly always call for 8" or 9" inch pans; to assure batter won't overflow, choose pans that are at least 2" deep, and fill them with no more than about 5 to 6 cups of batter.

What type of pan is better to use in baking? ›

Aluminum Baking Pans

Aluminum baking pans work best for dishes that bake with high heat over short periods of time. Their ability to heat up and cool down quickly promotes even browning and ensures that your recipes are baked to perfection.

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