Welsh cakes

If you’ve never eaten a Welsh cake, you’ve missed out. They’re delicious, and I don’t care that you don’t like dried fruit, I’m pretty sure you’re still going to love Welsh cakes.
The first time I ate Welsh cakes was with a Welsh friend, who lived nearby (not in Wales). A bunch of her friends had to come to visit for a day at the races and they brought a batch of freshly made Welsh cakes. Mid morning, we tucked in while we got ready and I (somewhat greedily in hindsight) ate about 4 or 5. We didn’t butter them, which is another totally acceptable way to eat them, just scoffed them dry, with glasses of prosecco or cava to help wash them down. What I was not expecting was the Welsh cakes to keep me going all day, until about 8pm and with about 6 pints of lager in me.

So, about Welsh cakes, they’re a cross between a scone, a biscuit, a cake, and pastry. Using a round pastry cutter, you cut them out of really soft buttery dough, and then fry them in more butter on quite a low heat. Now, I’ve eaten quite a few in my time, but what I was cooking was not what I’d eaten and this was concerning. Once golden brown in the pan, they were still really soft and floppy, so I was really quite worried as I was moving them to the baking tray filled with sugar. You coat them like donuts.
However, once they cooled, they firmed up and turned into the Welsh cakes I know and love.
They are really simple to make, they’re super filling, soft, buttery, sweet and make the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.

You can buy them, but I guarantee they won’t be as good. But they are super easy to make, so even the most inexperienced of bakers could have success here.
The reason I’ve picked Wales to go second, is that my great grandmother was Welsh, which gives me another team to support in a lot of sporting events. I’ve got another team I can claim as ‘home’ side, and you’ll get that update tomorrow.