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British

Welsh cakes

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Picau ar y maen

Small, buttery, currant-studded rounds somewhere between a scone and a biscuit, cooked on a griddle or bakestone and dusted with sugar while warm.

Welsh cakes is a British sweet from United Kingdom, ready in about 50 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, butter and raisins. It serves 16 and is rated beginner to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
10 min
Total
50 min
Serves
16
Level
Beginner
Calories
133

Ingredients

16 cakes

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), nutmeg (opens in a new tab) and salt. Rub in the cold butter (opens in a new tab) with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs, then stir in the currants.

  2. Step 2

    Add the egg (opens in a new tab) and bring together into a firm dough, like shortcrust pastry, adding the milk (opens in a new tab) only if it's too dry.

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Roll out on a floured surface to 5 mm thick and cut 6 cm rounds; re-roll the trimmings once.

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Heat a griddle, bakestone or heavy frying pan over medium-low heat and wipe with a little butter (opens in a new tab). Cook the cakes in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until golden-brown outside and just cooked through — the sides should no longer look raw.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Toss in caster sugar (opens in a new tab) while warm and cool on a rack.

About this dish

Origin
Wales, United Kingdom · Well documentedMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Snack · Breakfast · Sweets & confectionery · Cakes
Cooking method
Pan-fried
Taste
buttery, sweet, fruity
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Butter · Raisins · Baking powder · Sugar · Nutmeg
Techniques
Pan-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

133 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 33 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 57%
  • Fat 37%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy133 kcal411 kcal
Protein2.1 g6.3 g
Carbohydrate19.2 g59.2 g
Net carbohydrate18.7 g57.5 g
Sugars7.8 g24.2 g
Added sugars5.3 g16.3 g
Fibre0.6 g1.7 g
Fat5.6 g17.1 g
Saturated fat3.4 g10.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol25 mg77 mg
Sodium100 mg308 mg
Salt equivalent0.3 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
50 mg
Calcium
33 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Magnesium
5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
48 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
43 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Test the heat with one cake: too hot and they burn before the middle cooks.

Common mistakes

  • Rolling too thick, which leaves the centres doughy.

Serve with

  • Warm with a cup of tea; split and spread with butter or jam.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days in an airtight tin; freezes well.

Reheating

  • Warm briefly in a dry pan.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 25 min

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Cool · about 10 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 50 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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