Recipe: Welsh Cakes

[valarltd]

I love these and I had misplaced the recipe.



~2 oz butter and 2 oz lard/shortening
~8 oz self-rising flour
~pinch of salt
~3 oz superfine(not confectioner's sugar) or caster sugar
~3 oz currants
~1/2 tsp nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice
~ 1 tsp honey--I like the darker honey, but any will do
~ 1 egg, beaten
~ well seasoned cast iron griddle, rubbed with thin layer of butter or lard

Preparation:
~ in a bowl, use a fork or fingers to cut butter/lard mix into the flour, until it resembles breadcrumbs
~Stir in the sugar, currants, mixed spice and honey.
~add beaten egg and mix to form a firm(not runny) dough ball--it should be more moist than pie crust dough, so add a drop or two of milk if it seems too dry or won't hold together
~ turn out on a floured surface and pat or roll dough to a 3/4inch/2 cm thickness
~cut into 2-3 rounds, using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter
~heat griddle til butter melts, then wipe off butter with a paper towel. The cakes will brown in their own fat;the extra butter is just to help prevent sticking. Place cakes on griddle and cook over medium heat til golden brown on both sides(about 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness).
~dust cakes with caster/superfine sugar and serve hot. Well, you can eat them cold, but I prefer them warm. May be stored in airtight container in refrigerator for several days.

Variations on a Welsh Cake theme:
~ if you split your cake and add jam and butter to the center, you have what is known as a jam split. No eye rolling, please.
~ if you use plain flour,(not self rising), you will get a much flatter and crisper cake known as Llech Cymraeg (literally, "Welsh slab"), which is quite pretty when stacked and served with tea.
~ if you add 1/2 cup or so of grated fresh apple, you get a lovely moist cake known as "apple dragon", perfect for autumn days.