Welsh Cakes for St. David’s Day
Welsh cakes are a smaller, but similar version of Scottish girdle scones. This Welsh cake recipe is made on a griddle (as it should be), so it’s easy whip up a batch anytime you like, especially for St. David’s Day on March 1st.
I have recipes from Scotland, Ireland and England on my site, but these Welsh cakes are my first from Wales.
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Given that the patron saint of Wales is St. David, and St. David’s Day is March 1st, it seemed apropos.
When is St. David’s Day?
St. David’s Day is traditionally celebrated on March 1st by enjoying all sorts of Welsh creations like leek and potato soup, and other recipes which include leeks, Welsh rarebit and of course, Welsh cakes.
Here’s a recipe for Welsh rarebit to celebrate, as well.
Who Was St. David?
Sometimes we celebrate saints’ days and have no clue about who they were or what they did, right? I knew he is the patron saint of Wales, but that’s all, so here are a few things about St. David from BBC Wales.
What is the Difference Between Welsh Cakes and Scottish Girdle Scones?
The biggest difference in flavor between Welsh Cakes and Scottish Girdle Scones is the addition of mixed spice. If you’re not in the UK, you won’t be able to find it in your neighborhood grocery stores. Although you can find it on Amazon, it’s so easy to make at home. Here’s a cross between a BBC Good Food recipe and the one I buy in the UK.
Mixed Spice Recipe
This is a great recipe for kids to make because it’s literally just measuring and mixing spices! It’s so much fun for them, and they can put it in a jar and label it, then when they taste the Welsh cakes (they can even help make them) they’ll be so overjoyed to taste their mixed spice in them! This is how to encourage children to have a love of cooking and baking!
Can Welsh Cakes be Cooked in the Oven?
While Welsh cakes can be oven baked, it would be like making barbecued steaks in a frying pan–it’s no longer what you set out to make. I highly recommend cooking them on a griddle or frying pan so that they have the correct texture, color and flavor.
Love cooking on a griddle? Try these cinnamon raisin English muffins (dough is made in a bread machine)!
The Welsh cake recipe I’m sharing is adapted from Paul Hollywood’s British Baking book. I found them to be a bit on the sweet side, especially since they are traditionally sprinkled with white sugar (it doesn’t need to be caster sugar) before serving, so I reduced the sugar significantly.
Can Welsh Cakes be Toasted?
Yes, in fact, toasted Welsh cakes are AH-mazing!
Paul gave me a signed copy of his book when we were on the interview stage at BBC Good Food Scotland a few years ago. I hope you enjoy this little taste of Wales!
Another recipe related to a saint: Zeppole di San Giuseppe (St Joseph’s day pastries)
Eating a Welsh cake is heavenly! And there’s nothing to it, just eat them as is with a cup of tea, or you can be decadent and eat them with butter and/or jam! They are like a miniature, thinner, spiced scone.
Welsh Cakes Recipe
adapted from Paul Hollywood’s British Baking makes about 24 (printable recipe below)
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- flour
- salt
- baking powder
- mixed spice
- butter
- sugar
- currants
- egg
- milk/buttermilk
Special equipment: a griddle or heavy frying pan, 3″ (7.5cm) fluted biscuit cutter.
Make the Welsh Cake Dough
Sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a mixing bowl then rub in the cold butter.
Stir in the sugar and currants.
Stir in the egg and buttermilk and mix to a soft dough. Add more milk if necessary.
Roll out and cut the Dough
Roll the dough to about 1/3″ thickness.
Cut with either a fluted or straight cutter about 3″ in diameter. Welsh cakes are traditionally quite small, and not like a more standard scone size.
Cook the Welsh Cakes on a Griddle
Heat a griddle to medium heat and cook the Welsh Cakes for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked in the center.
Place on a cooling rack or tea towel, but not for too long.
These are absolutely delicious when sprinkled with a little sugar and served right away. Don’t forget the tea!
Can Welsh Cakes be Frozen?
Absolutely, Welsh cakes are perfect for freezing! Just defrost and reheat slightly.
However, I do agree with Paul who says that Welsh cakes are also really good the next day if you pop them in a toaster or heat them any way you like. I hope you try them as I think you’ll be very happy with the recipe! Just keep them in an airtight tin or container for up to 3 days, in a cool place.
Love breakfast pastries, baked goods, and breads? Try this recipe for cinnamon raisin English muffins, too!
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Welsh Cakes for St. David’s Day
Special Equipment
- 1 griddle or heavy frying pan
- 1 biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt (more if using unsalted)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp mixed spice (see printable recipe below)
- ½ cup butter (cold, good quality)
- ⅓ cup sugar (plus more for sprinkling on top)
- ½ cup currants
- 1 large egg (slightly beaten)
- 1 Tbsp buttermilk or more, as needed
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and mixed spice into a mixing bowl then rub in the butter.
- Stir in the sugar and currants.
- Stir in the egg and buttermilk and mix to a soft dough. Add more milk if necessary.
Roll out and cut the dough:
- Roll the dough to about 1/3″ thickness.
- Cut with either a fluted or straight cutter about 3"/ 7.5cm in diameter. Welsh cakes are traditionally quite small, and not like a more standard scone size.
Cook the Welsh Cakes:
- Heat a griddle to medium heat and cook the Welsh Cakes for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked in the center.
- Place on a cooling rack or tea towel, but not for too long. These are absolutely delicious when sprinkled with a little sugar and served right away!
- However, I do agree with Paul who says that they’re also really good the next day if you pop them in a toaster or heat them any way you like. I hope you try them as I think you’ll be very happy with the recipe!
Notes
- These freeze perfectly. You can always pop them in the oven or airfryer for a couple of minutes to warm them, too.
Nutrition
Mixed Spice (British Recipe for the US/Canada and Recipes to Use it)
Special Equipment
- 1 glass jar
Ingredients
- 2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 2 tsp nutmeg ground
- 2 tsp coriander dried, ground spice (not cilantro)
- 1 tsp ginger ground, dried spice (not fresh)
- 1 tsp allspice ground
- ½ tsp mace ground
- ½ tsp cloves ground
Instructions
- Place all the spices together in a medium sized bowl.
- Mix well and place in a glass jar.
- Keep sealed in a dry place.
Notes
- Contrary to other sites claiming that pumpkin spice can be a substitute, I would not recommend using it in place of mixed spice. The flavor profile is significantly different.
- Mixed spice will keep as long as the expiration date of the spices used.
Nutrition
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Phenomenal results! Thanks for this easy recipe that makes me look like a pro baker. I keep getting requests for them so I’ve almost memorized the recipe at this point!
These were fantastic and a great way to celebrate my name date! Thank you for the recipe, as they will become a tradition each year.
I was in the car and thought, “I have to wish David a buon onomastico” and promptly forgot when I got home! Ugh! Hope you had a lovely day and so happy to hear you loved the Welsh cakes! We didn’t make them today, but we make them anytime we feel like them all year long! Thanks, David!
Taste delicious. I may have made the dough a bit too soft as they were very fiddly to cook!
Hi Nicola, did you weigh the ingredients? They should come out perfectly and not fiddly to cook if you weigh everything. I’m guessing you used cups. Glad you liked the end result, though! :)