Welsh Cakes - An old family recipe, traditionally served warm, simply with a little butter on the tops! I grew up eating Welsh Cakes.
My Welsh grandmother would often make them using her very heavy cast iron griddle pan, and I would eat them as fast as she could make them, spreading some lovely Welsh butter on the top and simply enjoying them.
What Are Welsh Cakes
The cakes are also known as bakestones within Wales because they are traditionally cooked on a bakestone , a cast iron griddle about 1.5 cm or more thick which is placed on the fire or cooker; on rare occasions, people may refer to them as griddle scones.
If any of you celebrate St David's Day and are looking for some traditional Welsh recipes, these Welsh Cakes are perfect to make!
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I've managed to get the recipe for these via my cousin, who had the recipe from her mother, who in turn had it passed down from my 'Mam', or our Welsh Grandmother. Check out Mam's Bara Brith recipe too! It's a delicious Welsh fruit loaf.
So now, here it is! The famous and much loved recipe for Welsh Cakes!
Please enjoy them as much as all our family have done through the generations.
Recipe from 'Mam', Grandmother to many of our Lovefoodies recipes!
Check out our handy Oven Temperature Conversion Guide!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook time
3 minutes
Serving size
15 Approx
Equipment
You'll need a griddle pan, cast iron skillet or a frying pan to use on the stove top.
Ingredients
1 & ¾ cups or 225 g self raising flour
pinch of salt
½ cup or 100 g margarine
¼ cup or 50 g sugar
¼ cup or 50 g currants / raisins
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk to mix.
Top tip
If you choose to use baking powder instead of Self Raising Flour, be careful not to add too much in case you taste the baking powder. I don't want you to spoil the delicious flavour of the Welsh Cakes!
Instructions
1. Mix flour and salt, rub in margarine, stir in sugar and currants.
2. Mix to a fairly stiff dough with the egg and milk.
3. Roll out about 5 mm (¼ inch) in thickness and cut into rounds, (use a 6.5 cm or 2 ½ inch cookie cutter)
Gather up the trimmings and re-roll to make more Welsh cakes.
4. Cook on a medium-hot greased griddle pan for about 3 minutes on each side.
Place the hot Welsh cakes on some sugar, both sides then serve buttered, hot or cold.
Top tip
Make sure your griddle/skillet/fry pan is well greased, and to tell if it has reached the correct temperature, sprinkle some water on it and if the water jumps about in balls, evaporating, then it's hot enough!
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Welsch Cakes recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Welsh Cakes
Welsh Cakes - An old family recipe, traditionally served warm, simply with a little butter on the tops!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups or 225 g self raising flour
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup or 100 g margarine
- ¼ cup or 50 g sugar
- ¼ cup or 50 g currants / raisins
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons milk to mix.
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt, rub in margarine, stir in sugar and currants.
- Mix to a fairly stiff dough with the egg and milk.
- Roll out about 5 mm (¼ inch) in thickness and cut into rounds, (use a 6.5 cm or 2 ½ inch cookie cutter) Gather up the trimmings and re roll to make more Welsh cakes.
- Cook on a medium hot greased griddle pan for about 3 minutes on each side. Place the hot Welsh cakes on some sugar, both sides then serve buttered, hot or cold.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 15 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 194mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g
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A. McBride
says:Don’t know which cabbage leaf you grew up under, but it’s Self Raising flour Never heard of Self Rising Flour in over 50 years of baking Nor did my mother in almost 50 years before that.
Emsi
says:This Mc Bride comment could have been said in a more friendly way ! I’no neither english nor american, but it’s rather well known that both languages havea different way of spelling some words. Here it seems a nice place to find nice cooking, so even if someone would not write perfectly (which is not the case with raising/rising, since it’s qu question of country) there is another way of “correcting”… Anyway, thanjs a lot for this recipe, . I made those “pica ar y maen”, fantastic. Just a question : the “waving” all around the cakes, you make it I suppose with your fingers, before putting the cakes in the pan ? It’s a nice idea (or maybe traditional, I don’t know). Excuse-me for my very approximative english. I’m from Brittany. Above all : I can very hardly read what I’m writing, because the colour is a very light grey, and a small typographic size (maybe just 9 or 10).
Dave
says:In the UK, it’s called self-RAISING. The recipe is from and by someone the UK.
I understand it’s called self-RISING in the US amongst other places. I’ve also read there might be a slight difference in the two flours ingredients but not sure. I’ve read there’s added salt in self-RISING but none in self-RAISING flour which might affect the taste.
Abby
says:I made this recipe and it was PERFECT! I recently studied abroad in Wales and fell in love with Welsh cakes, so I decided to make some at home for friends, since you can’t find them anywhere in the US. I replaced the raisins with mini chocolate chips
and it was wonderful! I burned my first one so I had to bake them on the lowest setting but they came out perfect, just how I remember them! I will be making these often!
helen
says:it’s called self RISING flour
Fiona
says:In Australia like the UK it’s self raising not rising flour! Different countries different variations BUT all comes together & we all know what it means in the end is not a big deal! Thanks for great home made recipes and so simply explained & I really appreciate the inclusion of all of the small hints and tips included in them to help make sure we succeed!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Fiona, glad you like the recipe!
For the cinnamon, I’m not sure if Barbara will see your comment, but I’d suggest 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder added to the flour depending on how strong you want it.
Hope that helps!
Georgina Morrison
says:I’m w elsh and have been making welsh cakes all my life, I add 1/2 tsp mixed spices! Delicious.
Georgina Morrison
says:I’ve always added 1/2 tsp of mixed spice, just like my mother used to do!
Kathleen Boden
says:Made these from your recipe. Being English we always called them girdle scones. They were really good. We put currants in the ones I had as a child but I have found good results with dried blueberries for a change. I was pleased to find this as I lost my mother’s recipe during our last move. My gran didn’t need one!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Kathleen, so happy you found the recipe! The idea of blueberries sounds lovely. I’m a huge fan of blueberries. I wonder if our grans would have loved that too! I imagine back in their day they didn’t even have blueberries like we do now! If you have time, try using dried cranberries. They’re also really delicious in the welsh cakes.
Have a lovely weekend!
Lala Armstrong
says:I just got back fr
Georgina Morrison
says:I’m Welsh, maiden names Jones! i grew up on Welsh Cakes and still make a batch regularly as my family loves them too. I always add 1/2 tsp of mixed spice though as that is how my mother made them and they taste far nicer than ones without.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Georgina! Lovely to meet you! The mixed spice is always a nice addition. Glad you love Welsh cakes too!
Stacy
says:If I was to use flour and baking powder how much of what do I use? Plz help
Cecelia M. Stierman
says:I made these tonight. Very easy and my daughters exact words were these are amazing yummmmm I followed the recipe exactly as written. Instead of plain sugar after they were done i used cinnamon sugar. Thanks for sharing
Marcia
says:Can you use butter instead of margarine in the Welch Cakes?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Marcia, yes!
Beth
says:I am of Welsh descent. Mother made them regularly. They were cut thinner than pictured and were called Welsh cookies. Same ingredients.
twemyss
says:Thank you so much for the recipe, I had a welsh mother-in-law that did not like me because I am foreign, Dutch! So she refused to give me the recipe and now she has died so was a bit bereft as I thought no more welsh cakes! She will be turning over in her grave knowing I know have the secret!
Many thanks and I did manage to love her to bits even though it was not reciprocal!
Lovefoodies
says:Hi There, Graag gedan! I’m glad you found the recipe and hopefully it will be just as you remember them.
I just moved back to the UK after living in Holland for 7 years so it’s very nice to see a Dutch foodie here!
Groetjes!
Ruth
says:I’m really pleased to see this recipe, because I’m descended from several Welsh. My great-great grandmother Bessie Llawless Thomas cooked these as a taste from home! Thank you for this.
Lorie
says:I loved the Welsh Cakes! So easy and really delicious! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I will be making these all the time!
Lovefoodies
says:So happy you enjoyed them Lorie!