Monday, September 12, 2011

Welsh Cakes

IMG_0070e1This is quickly becoming my favorite time of the month, Secret Recipe Club reveal day.  I love the whole Secret Recipe Club process.  The excitement starts when I receive the email from Amanda listing my assigned blog.  Next it’s so interesting reading though all the potential recipes…even with my stress over which recipe to choose.  The cooking and tasting is always a big hit in the Cook Lisa Cook house as all the recipes have been wonderful.  I will say though, the best part is reveal day when all the participating food bloggers post their recreation or version of the recipe they made from their assigned blog.  I love seeing all the wonderful recipe choices and of course I’m always adding to my list of “need to make” recipes.  It’s all so much fun and easy to join in, just check out The Secret Recipe Club site for all the info.

This is my fourth month as part of the Secret Recipe Club and so far I have made Home Style Chicken Curry, Holy Guacamole, Cilantro Lime Chicken and Nutella Crêpes, all wonderful and delicious.  With four hits in a row I was looking for another winner this month and I found it on my assigned blog, Barb’s Mom’s Fridge.  As in months past, within minutes of receiving my assignment I was scrolling through recipes, noting ones that caught my eye and of course thinking all the time of what would work for my family.  I considered Barb’s Spicy Asian Chicken Wraps as those are always a favorite of mine.  Then I thought that Maisie and I would make her Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate-Chip Cookies because Maisie would have fun with that one but then I realized that we really just made something similar when she and I made Toll House Double Stuff Oreo Brownies so I nixed that one for now and added it to my list of “recipes to make with Maisie.”  Super Pizza Bites also made my short list but thought I’d save those and make them when we had people over because I knew that we’d all eat way too many if that was my choice of recipe.  Then I came upon Barb’s recipe for Welsh Cakes and I knew immediately what I would be making this month. 

About a year after Eammon and I were married we traveled over to England and Wales to visit with his family.  During that trip I met for the first time, Eammon’s eldest brother Michael, his wife Stephanie and their family when we stayed with them in their home in Cardiff.  Stephanie and I hit if off immediately and during our short couple of days visiting she and I enjoyed getting to know one another, we bonded over food spending time together in the kitchen.  One of the things that Stephanie made for us during our visit were Welsh Cakes and from my first bite I was in love.  I never did get her recipe nor did I ever get to see her again as she very unexpectedly passed away before we were able to get together again.  So when I saw Barb’s recipe for Welsh Cakes it reminded me of Stephanie, sharing her company, time in her kitchen and the wonderful food she made during our visit. It has been over a decade since my first and only time having Welsh Cakes but the ones I made brought back good memories.  I wish that Stephanie and I could have shared these Welsh Cakes and a cuppa.  I know that had we had more time together, she and I would have been good friends.

I did make a few changes to Barb’s recipe and I cut the recipe in half as there are only three of us in the house and I knew that if I made a full recipe, we would have eaten the full recipe.  Plus these are so easy to make, they come together in minutes that had we “needed” more right away I could had them made and on the table very quickly.   These Welsh Cakes have a gorgeous subtle taste and the texture is similar to a soft shortbread, moist but a little bit crumbly.  They’re just a bit sweet with the raisins really adding to that sweetness.   I cooked mine up in my old cast iron pan using real butter and they were delicious and perfect.  We really enjoyed them hot from the pan, as a snack later in the day and even as leftovers for breakfast the following morning.  Very delicious and I think Stephanie would have approved.

Before I get to the recipe I need to share something I found funny or coincidental.  Barb without knowing that I was working off of her blog, made and posted Citrus Cilantro Chicken Legs, her version of my August Secret Recipe Club entry, Cilantro Lime Chicken.  I love that this month we cooked off of each others blog.

 IMG_0016eI added all my dry ingredients to a bowl and cut in my butter.

 IMG_0022eI then mixed in my egg and added the raisins.

IMG_0023eMy dough came together beautifully but had I needed, I could have added some milk a little bit at a time.

IMG_0029ePat out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick and then find a moody, temperamental but always beautiful five year old to help cut the dough.  

IMG_0036eIn a large cast iron skillet over low heat cook the Welsh Cakes slowly until golden brown on both sides.

IMG_0049eA much happier little girl once it was time to give the Welsh Cakes a try.

 IMG_0043e

Welsh Cakes (adapted from here)

  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 4 oz. butter
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins 
  • milk if necessary

Makes approx. 10 cakes

Stir together flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon & salt. Add the butter and cut in like when making a pie dough. Add the egg and mix to combine.  Add the raisins and bring the dough together into one large ball.  If the mixture seems a little too dry, add just a little milk 

Roll or pat the dough to 1/4-inch thick and cut into rounds, reshaping the dough scraps until you completely run out.

Cook on a buttered griddle or in a heavy bottomed pan for about 3 minutes per side.  If they look as if they're browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit because they need to cook through.  They will be fairly brown, crisp and delicious on the outside. Serve them warm or cold with butter and/or honey or jam.  We enjoyed them plain and they stayed gorgeous overnight sealed in a Ziplock on the counter. 

Enjoy!

62 comments:

  1. Such an interesting recipe...I think I'd really like these! Great selection for the SRC :)

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  2. LOVE Welsh cakes and I'm glad the recipe brought back good memories for you! I'll have to make them soon. That's so funny that we were cooking from each others' blogs at the same time :)

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  3. Your Welsh cakes turned out great. It's great to see that your daughter loves trying the different recipes that you make. :)

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  4. Need to try these, they look so yummy. tho I am lacking the moody 5 year old... love the look on her face!

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  5. I've never heard of Welsh Cakes before. I so need to try these!

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  6. I'd never heard of Welsh Cakes before, either, but they sound like breakfast to me! ;-)

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  7. What an interesting pastry! It seems like they could be a good alternate to pancakes since you could make up the dough beforehand and then bake when everyone is awake.

    I had also never heard of Welsh cakes before, but will have to investigate them a bit.

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  8. I've never heard of Welsh Cakes before, but these look great! And I loved that you shared your touching story with us about Stephanie, as well =)

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  9. I have heard about this recipe before. They look yummy!

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  10. Have never eaten Welsh cakes, but it seems like something I would like to try!

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  11. These look tasty and I love how small and adorable they are!! Good pic for this month!

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  12. I love that you have a sous chef to help out with important stuff. Can't wait to try these!

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  13. What a cool recipe - I've never seen this before but it looks really yummy! Will have to give a try, very tasty! Love the golden raisins. :)

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  14. How awesome that you got to create the Welsh cakes that you loved on your travels to England and Wales, via the SRC. They look wonderful! Never tried them, but now would love to :)

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  15. These remind me a lot of rock cakes, another English Isles treat. The dough's fairly similar, as are the add-ins. They're just baked like scones instead of in a frypan. I bet my Brit would love these!

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  16. I've never heard of welsh, but they sure look tasty!

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  17. I'd never heard of Welsh Cakes before, but they sound like they'd be a lovely treat to have with a cuppa tea.
    Thank you for sharing your story about Stephanie, too. One of my favourite ways to remember the people I've lost is to cook the foods that remind me of them. It's my way to keeping their memories alive, and to relive the good times.

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  18. I have never had Welsh cakes before. They look great! Perfect choice for SRC!

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  19. I've never had Welsh cakes before, they sound wonderful! Great choice for SRC - gives us a chance to try something unique!

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  20. Nice recipe, look absolutely nice Lisa, gloria

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  21. These looks so good!!! I have never heard of them before, but would love to try them now.

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  22. I've heard of Welsh cakes before and would love to try your recipe. They look great. How sweet your little helper is!

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  23. I have never had these and I want to eat one, at least. I will have to add this to my TO DO list. Sounds great.

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  24. I don't know why the last comment came out anonymous. It is from me.

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  25. I was smitten the minute I saw those beautiful raisins. Your Welsh cakes look delicious.

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  26. This is new to me, I've never seen or heard of them before, but the Welsh cakes look great. Nice find!

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  27. What a touching story. I would have picked the Welsh Cakes too. I've never had the pleasure of eating Welsh Cakes.

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  28. Mmmm. It must be so fun living at your house.

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  29. Lovely! I only wish I had seen this when I taught a session about Welsh dragon legends. I made some other Welsh recipe that didn't look half as good as this! Thanks for posting it to the SRC. ~Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla (http://culinary-adventures-with-cam.blogspot.com/)

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  30. Those seem like something really fun to try. Love the photos with your little helper!

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  31. Love these cakes, and the idea that you can pan fry a cake :-). Great pick for the SRC assignment!

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  32. What I like about breads like this is that cooking them in the frying pan makes them ever so quick from bowl to mouth. :)

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  33. Your daughter is cute:) Bet you guys had a good time making and eating together.:)

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  34. How fun you have a little helper in the kitchen with this project. Never had a Welsh Cake before. So unique.

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  35. This is a really great write-up!! You did a great job, these Welsh cakes look so tasty!

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  36. I've never heard of or had Welsh cakes but they look so good! Will have to give them a try :-) Gotta love SRC for exactly this reason!

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  37. I've had Welsh cakes on my to-do list for such a long time. You've convinced me to try them asap! And what a wonderful story to go with them. I'm sure Stephanie would be very happy!
    (I found you through SRC- I'm a new member!)

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  38. Good choice for SRC! I'm not familiar with Welsh Cakes... they look kind of like a pancake, but thicker and more dense?! It's fun that you had a story to fit in with your inspiration as well!

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  39. LOL, I love your comment about finding a moody, temperamental five year old to help! She looked much happier after all was said and done! Your dough looked beautiful! I will have to try these.

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  40. I love the simplicity of these!! Yet, despite how simple they are, they look and sound soooo delicious. Thank you for sharing!!

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  41. This recipe would intrigue me too! I have never had nor heard of a welsh cake before today but they sound yummy!

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  42. "moody, temperamental but always beautiful five year old"

    My daughter was at your house???? :)

    The story behind you making these just about put a lump in my throat. There is nothing, absolutely nothing better than food that has a good memory attached with it.

    That being said, even though I don't have a memory to attach with these Welsh Cakes, the recipes been copied and I'll be heading into the kitchen to make a batch. :)

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  43. Great post and Welsh cakes, I've never heard of them. But now that I have I've got to make these. Love you SRC selection!

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  44. I have never tried these, but must!
    Stopping by from group C. Fun to be in the Secret Recipe Club with you. Here is my link from last month, would love if you stopped by to say *hi* http://su.pr/1Sizv9

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  45. Lovely story. Makes me want to be in your kitchen cooking and having my first taste of welsh cakes.

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  46. nothing beats pan-fried cookies. great job trying something new!

    I only discovered these in the last few years myself and I had some great conversations about them.

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  47. I have got to try these. They remind me of griddle cakes, crumpets, and english muffins all rolled into one.

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  48. As the mother of a very moody and temperamental child (one of four), I had to chuckle at your comment. Glad she enjoyed the welsh cakes.

    :)
    ButterYum

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  49. Never heard of welsh cakes before this but they look delicious! Good to be a part of SRC with you =)

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  50. Welsh cakes were on one of my SRC blogs and I almost made them. These look delicious.

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  51. Mmmm these sound fabulous! Thanks for directing me here, will definitely have to try them:)

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  52. Thank you for stopping by my blog! The Welsh Cakes look awesome - I'd never heard of them before now!

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  53. First time of hearing about Welsh Cakes. I'm intrigued! You certainly have a beautiful helper!

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  54. I've always wanted to try Welsh cakes, they look so good with some tea or coffee. This recipe looks super doable and I love that I already have everything I need. ;) Great pick for SRC!

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  55. I am in group B for src and the assigned post I recieved also recieved my blog also. Have never heard of Welsh cakes, your little one is cute as can be........thanks, nice post Andi

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  56. Well, I checked out the Secret Recipe club thinking maybe I'd try it out. But it looks like I would need to actually have a cooking blog to participate, and I don't! I just don't cook well enough for a cooking blog. I love the idea of choosing recipes to cook from blogs - I wonder if there is some kind of cooking challenge blogs out there that don't require one to have a dedicated cooking blog?

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  57. I've never heard of these...looking forward to trying them!

    Amy @ A Little Nosh

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  58. what good eating these will make! They look delicious!

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  59. Hi there, thanks for sharing the Welsh Cake recipe. I have made these for years and years, LOL I originated in Cardiff, Wales and have been in Canada now for 41 years, but my boys still beg me to make Welsh Cakes. Hugs, Chris

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