Welsh cakes are a cross between a cookie, a scone, and a pancake but when it comes to their taste and texture, they’re very unique.
While there are so many recipes out there that can be used to make them from scratch, Jamie Oliver has one that’s great for first-timers.
As shared in his cookbook Jamie’s Great Britain, the chef described the recipe as one he “completely fell in love with” after trying Welsh cakes in Pontypridd market.
Jamie explained: “The Welsh cooks of old did a lot of cooking on bakestones, which are essentially round cast iron skillets.
“They’d place them over a fire in their home, and use them for things like these sweet little cakes, which have a crisp outside and a soft, slightly crumbly inside that is to die for.”
Of course, it’s not so easy to follow traditional cooking methods in the comfort of your home, but Jamie has an alternative.
He said: “You can replicate that bakestone style of cooking using a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan.
“I love serving these warm as they are or filled with a spoonful of cream and a few berries.”
Method
Take a large mixing bowl and sieve the flour in then add the sugar and mixed spice. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the bowl with a pinch of sea salt.
Rub everything together with your hands then make a well in the centre of the mixture and crack in the egg, add a splash of milk, then use a fork to beat and mix in the egg.
Once combined, use clean hands to pat and bring the mixture together to form a dough. Jamie noted that the dough should be fairly short so it’s important not to overwork it.
Take a large heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan on medium heat, then while it’s heating up, dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out until it’s about 1cm thick.
Use a 5cm pastry cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible then scrunch the remaining scraps of dough together, roll out and cut out a few more. Test one Welsh cake in the pan for a few minutes to act as a thermometer.
Jamie said: “If the surface is blonde, turn the heat up a little; if it’s black, turn the heat down – leave for a few minutes for the heat to correct itself, then try again.”
One golden cake should be cooked in about four minutes on each side, after which it’s easy to cook the cakes in batches. As soon as they come off the pan, put them on a wire rack to cool and sprinkle them with caster sugar.
