Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (2024)

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Welsh Cakes ~ they’re cooked on a griddle like a pancake, but can be eaten out of hand like a scone ~ these sweet, buttery little breakfast cakes are a Welsh tradition that deserve a spot on your brunch or tea table!

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (1)

What are Welsh cakes( Pice ar y maen) ?

It’s always fun to make something entirely new, and if you’re not from Wales, you’ve probably never encountered Celtic cakes (aka bakestone cakes) before ~ they’re a little bit hard to describe! They’re similar to scones and biscuits (but thinner,) fried on both sides like pancakes, and you eat them like an English muffin.

The combination of the currants and the subtle but noticeable hint of nutmeg gives these cakes a really interesting and unique flavor that I totally fell in love with. It’s not a combination of flavors or textures that you’re likely to find in any coffee shop or bakery in the US, which is exactly why you need to make them.

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (2)

I was surprised by how sweet these cakes are. They may look humble and even “wholesome” but they are actually quite a sweet treat, perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or at tea-time.

The little currants makes these cakes extra special. Look for them with the raisins and other dried fruit in your supermarket. For an American variation you might try dried cranberries.

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (3)

How to cook Welsh cakes

You’ll cook these cakes like pancakes, on the stove.

  • I think the trickiest part about making these Welsh cakes is getting your pan temperature right. Plan on a test-cake or two and you (and your cakes) will be golden!
  • They’ll need a couple minutes on each side to cook through, which means you don’t want the pan to be too hot and brown them too much before they’ve had a chance to cook. Oh, and no butter or oil on the pan necessary!
  • I found that somewhere between medium/medium-low on my stove was perfect, and I recommend a cast iron pan if you one because they keep a nice even heat. You might have to play around a bit to find the sweet spot on your stove.

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (4)

What to serve with Welsh cakes ~

These cakes can be dusted with sugar and a little extra spice once they are baked and simply eaten as is, or you can serve them with a variety of toppings.

  • good quality butter
  • jam
  • clotted cream
  • lemon curd
  • maple syrup
  • honey

To reheat Welsh cakes

  • The easiest way is to pop them in the toaster!

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (5)

More breakfast treats ~

  • Orange and Cardamom Muffins
  • Instant Pot Clotted Cream
  • Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake
  • Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (6)

Welsh Cakes

5 from 11 votes

Welsh Cakes ~ they're cooked on a griddle like a pancake, but can be eaten out of hand like a scone, these sweet, buttery little cakes are a Welsh tradition that deserve a spot on your brunch or tea table!

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Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes minutes

Servings: 18 cakes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.

  • 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.

  • Add the currants and mix to combine.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

These cakes are fairly sweet, you can definitely reduce the sugar to about 2/3 cup without any problems.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour.

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: Welsh

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: Afternoon tea, breakfast, brunch, cake, dessert

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you've made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.

Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (7)

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Easy Welsh Cakes Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Why do my Welsh cakes go hard? ›

After you have flipped them, you want to look for that gooey line in the middle of each Welsh cake. If you don't have this and cook them for too long on either side, they're going to be rock hard the next day.

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.

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 do you make a hard cake moist? ›

If your cake is dry, there are a few things you can do to fix it. One option is to add a wet ingredient, like water, milk, or fruit juice. You can also try heating the cake in the oven for a few minutes. If your cake is really dry, you may need to add some oil or melted butter as well.

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).

Can we use normal sugar instead of caster sugar? ›

Caster sugar

White sugar is milled into smaller crystals. It's also called superfine sugar. It dissolves more easily, making it perfect for recipes like custard from scratch, meringues and cakes. In most recipes you can substitute granulated sugar for caster sugar and vice versa.

What is another name for Welsh Cakes? ›

Welsh Cakes or Pice ar y maen are a Welsh teatime treat. The recipe has been passed down through generations and is still as popular as ever. In Wales welsh cakes are also known as griddle cakes or bakestones because they are traditionally cooked on a bakestone (Welsh: maen, lit. 'stone' or Welsh: planc, lit.

What to eat with Welsh cake? ›

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.

Do Welsh Cakes go bad? ›

For Welsh Cakes and Scones, we suggest eating within 3.5 weeks if unrefrigerated. 4.5 weeks if refrigerated and 20 weeks or more if frozen.

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.

Why are my Welsh Cakes so dry? ›

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

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.

How to use a baking stone for Welsh Cakes? ›

Step 3: Cooking on the Bakestone

It requires a low heat, it should feel a little hot with your hand about an inch above it. Grease the bakestone with a little butter. Place the cakes on the stone, allow to cook for a short while, and then flip them over. You are aiming for a golden brown colour.

How do I stop my cake from hardening? ›

This can be avoided by setting the right temperature. Cake becomes hard when the temperature set is incorrect or less. Try baking a cake between 180 degrees to 220 degrees, depending on the type of cake and if it still happens, then you should reduce the quantity of the batter.

Why do my cakes get hard after baking? ›

2) Too much flour was used

Any baked good — especially cake —with too much flour will be dry, hard, crumbly … take your unhappy pick. For best results, please weigh your flour (and other ingredients).

What can cause cake to be hard? ›

If your cake is hard, the problem probably lies in the beating. The butter must be beaten well in the early stages to give the mixture enough air for a light and fluffy texture. To achieve this the butter must be lukewarm and therefore not too hard.

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