Eccles Cake (A Traditional English Pastry Recipe)
Eccles cake, a traditional British pastry from a town named Eccles in England, are very easy to make using this classic recipe and store-bought, or pre-made puff pastry.
If you’ve ever tasted an Eccles cake, you’ll be happy to be reading this as I’ve included a recipe that’s so easy to make anytime you have a craving!
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After returning from the UK, I’ve been chomping at the bit to share this Eccles cake recipe.
I visited Rye again. This is a town I’ve been visiting since I was a little girl, because my Aunt Rosa lives there. It is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever seen, with its cobblestone streets, Tudor architecture and hilltop location overlooking the English Channel, and sometimes even sharing a peek at France.
You can read more about Rye and the The Mermaid Inn, but this post is all about Eccles Cakes. When I’m in Rye, I love to wander around the historic streets, popping into food shops, charity shops and gift shops. My friend Suzanne lives nearby and has a great list of the best things to do in Rye.
One of my favorite things is peeping at the treats in bakery windows–taking photos every step of the way!
I spied this Eccles cake, decided they were going onto my “to bake” list.
One of the recipes I used was Paul Hollywood’s. If you don’t know who Paul is by now, and you’re interested in British baking, I don’t know what to say! Haha! He’s been the “male judge” on the Great British Bake Off, and I happened to spend a few days with him in Scotland a few years ago when we were both on the interview stage at the BBC Good Food Show Scotland.
I have also made his treacle sponge pudding, and did a little photo shoot by the Hollywood sign for him!
As you can see, his recipes are solid. I combined Paul’s Recipe and Delia Smith’s recipes to come up with mine! You may recognize Delia Smith’s name from my rhubarb crumble ice cream recipe. Ready to get baking?
Eccles Cake Recipe
adapted from Paul Hollywood and Delia Smith’s recipes serves 10
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- puff pastry or flaky pastry
Filling
- good quality butter
- brown sugar
- currants
- orange zest
- grated nutmeg
- allspice
- egg white
- sugar
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
Directions
Make the Eccles Cake Filling
Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until just melted, then remove from heat and add the rest of the filling ingredients, stir to combine and set aside to cool.
Assemble the cakes
Roll out the dough to a rectangle measuring about 6″ x 15″ (16cm x 40cm), cut lengthwise in half, then cut into 10 equal sized pieces.
Place a spoonful of filling onto the center of each square, using all of it evenly between the 10 pieces, then wet the edges of one of the squares, using your finger.
Now, hold the pastry in one hand. Close the edges together to seal the filling inside, forming it into a round shape when finished.
Next, place the pastry on a lined baking sheet, with the pinched side down and press down slightly.
Repeat with the remaining 9 Eccles Cakes. Next, make three slits on top with a very sharp knife or razor blade. Next, brush with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake the Eccles Cakes
Pop into the preheated oven, on a lower shelf for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, place the tray in the middle of the oven for a further 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Finally, remove the cakes from the tray and place on a cooling rack.
All that’s left to do is enjoy one or two of these lovely pastries, along with a cup of hot tea!
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Eccles Cake (A Traditional English Pastry Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry approx 16-18 oz
- 1 Tbsp butter good quality (I like Lewis Road Creamery)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup currants
- 1 Tbsp orange zest from an organic, washed orange
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg grated
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1 egg white beaten
- sugar for sprinkling on top of cakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
- Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until just melted, then remove from heat and add the rest of the filling ingredients, stir to combine and set aside to cool.
- Roll out the dough to a rectangle measuring about 6″ x 15″ (16cm x 40cm), cut lengthwise in half, then cut into 10 equal sized pieces.
- Place a spoonful of filling onto the center of each square, using all of it evenly between the 10 pieces, then wet the edges of one of the squares, using your finger.
- Now, hold the pastry in one hand and close the edges together to seal the filling inside, forming it into a round shape when finished.
- Place the pastry on a lined baking sheet, with the pinched side down and press down slightly.
- Repeat with the remaining 9 pastries, then make three slits on top with a very sharp knife or razor blade, brush with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
- Pop into the preheated oven, on a lower shelf for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, place the tray in the middle of the oven for a further 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from tray and place on cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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What a lovely village! Eccles cake from Rye. My mother was Edinburgh born but we had many similar seeets… I tried this one and loved it… although I used nutmeg and cinnamon because we’re not fond of allspice. Amazing with tea for breakfast😇
Sandra Sutherland Winfield
SO happy to hear it, Sandra!
I finally got time to make these.
Everybody loved them!
Thank you for this recipe
That’s so great to hear, Charlie! Thank you for the 5 star review and hope you find more of my recipes to enjoy. Have you ever had Scottish fruit slice? It’s similar to the Eccles cake filling.
Hi – I have a question about the puff pastry usage in this recipe please.
My 500 gram box of frozen puff pastry contains two sheets. Does this recipe use one sheet or both?
Thank you from Texas, USA
Charlie
Hello Charlie in Texas! You will use both sheets (ingredients show 18 oz box which is just over a pound- a pound is 454 grams and you have 500 g) so you have the exact amount needed! Let me know how they turn out! :)
Thank you for the clarification. I look forward to baking this one
Amazing eccles cakes, superb taste and so easy to make.
Eccles cakes seem to be disappearing from shops and the few offering local are all stodgy and hit and miss with filling. So thought try and make some (I cook but not cakes).
Your recipe in amongst the others popped up and your name logo stood out so looked in.
Wow, so glad I did.
The recipe is so easy and the instructions crystal clear, so thought.. go for it.
They turned out amazing, really light and full of taste, have to say some of the best I’ve had since a kid many years ago.
Made 4 larger ones rather than many littler ones as, cooked just few minutes more and yea, amazing.
Will be looking at your other recipes for sure.
Thank you for sharing the magic x
I’m delighted to hear this, Peter! I loved your review so much, I’m using it as my “review of the week” in my next newsletter! I don’t know if you’ve signed up (it’s free), but you can do so here.
Wonderful Eccles cake recipe, thanks!
So happy you like it!
Hi … is it possible to assemble these the night before and bake them in the morning?
Hi Maria, good question and the answer is, I’m not sure it would have the results of making and baking right away. I would advise 1. testing it before the event you’re baking for or 2. making the filling ahead of time, then filling and baking immediately. I have a feeling if the pastry isn’t 100% sealed, you may end up with leakage which will then burn when baked, and the pastry may go soggy with the filling in it overnight. Just my thoughts, but again, if you can test it out, you may find they bake beautifully.
Whatever you try, let me know, as now I’m curious! Good luck!
Christina
At your suggestion I did not assemble these last night. What I did was prep everything: cut the squares, made the filling (without the butter) and did them all this morning. (early!) I needed to make 3x the recipe, and got it all done in about an hour and half. (assembled and cooked!) They were a HUGE hit! I made them for my volunteer committee co-chair who has a flat in London and goes between London and NYC. She was so excited to see them. Mine puffed up a little more than yours .. so not sure what that was all about … but they are so tasty!
Picture posted on my instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellacucinam/
Beautiful, Maria! Thank you for getting back to let me know how they turned out. I’m not sure why they puffed up? Maybe you had air inside when you sealed them? Who knows, but at least they were a big hit! A little puffy puff pastry never hurt anyone! haha! Hope you find more of my recipes to enjoy! Thanks again!