St David's Day - Welsh Cakes

Yesterday was the first day I actually felt the benefit of my semi-retirement.  I met two friends for cocktails and lunch in Glasgow.  These friends were my colleagues in a job that seems like a lifetime ago.  This meeting would have been difficult on a weekend, but was a perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon!

We all came from different directions, meeting at the Station Hotel Champagne Bar.  As many times as I have walked through Glasgow Central, I had never been inside this building.  It was a nice place, with loads of folks having tea and really good cocktails.  One friend had never had a cocktail and we suggested a Marguerita.  Sounded like such a good idea, all of us had one!

On the way to Amarone Restaurant (which was an amazing place with a great menu!), we detoured to the Steamer Trading Cookshop.  It had only opened in November, and I had never heard of it.  What a treat for someone who enjoys cooking!  They have such a wide variety of everything and anything you might need to stock your kitchen.  I controlled  myself but will definitely return.  They are opening their basement on 15 March and are going to have loads of guest chefs and demonstrations!  I intend to be there!

The result of visiting this fabulous shop was the realisation that I have not cooked anything in quite awhile!  And coincidentally, on Facebook yesterday someone had published a Welsh Cake recipe.

I have only experienced Welsh Cakes once, when Mom was first in the hospital and her friend also broke her hip a few days later.  They were both in the same ward, not the same rooms though.  Her husband is a fantastic cook and brought these in for the staff (and for me!)  I was sleeping on the floor of her room and these little cakes got me through a few difficult days.

For some reason, the idea to make these sounded good and today IS St David's Day, so it is a good day to celebrate something Welsh!

They were delicious and tasted just as good as I remembered when I ate them in the hospital.  So this is a really good recipe, because the man who made my first Welsh cakes is a great baker and I would never have expected my first attempt to taste anything like his.

I found this recipe on the BBC Website so have just copied it here, but I have added my own measurements in cups.  I cannot guarantee they are perfect but it is the best I can do!  And at the very end is the recipe just on its own.

Welsh Cakes:

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz/1 and 1/4 cup self-raising flour, sieved
• 110g/4oz/ 1/2 cup (preferably Welsh) salted butter
• 1 egg
• handful of sultanas  (I am not comfortable with "handfuls" so I added 1/4 cup, and it was just right!)
• milk, if needed
• 85g/3oz/ 1/3 cup caster sugar
• extra butter, for greasing

Preparation method

1. Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.
   
2. Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.
3. You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people I know like them almost burnt.  (two minutes worked for me)
4. Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam
   
   
   
   
   Hwyl am rwan/nawr Bye for now 
   
   

   Welsh Cakes

   Ingredients

   • 225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved
   • 110g/4oz (preferably Welsh) salted butter
   • 1 egg
   • handful of sultanas
   • milk, if needed
   • 85g/3oz caster sugar
   • extra butter, for greasing

   Preparation method

   1. Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.
   2. Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.
   3. You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people I know like them almost burnt.
   4. Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam