What Are Welsh Cakes? Recipe!

Welsh cakes from Fishguard Bay Hotel. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Notice the cakes contain currants. Welsh cake can be broken into four pieces using the cross which has been scored with a knife (or fork).

Problem
What are Welsh cakes? Where or how can I try them?

Answer
Welsh cakes are round or square cakes which look like flattened scones. Like scones, they have sultanas or currants. Like scones, you can serve them with jam and butter, or cream.

I first tried them in Fishguard, Wales. You eat them hot with butter and jam.

I had them for elevenses at Jane's. Delicious and more-ish. Perfect small cake to go with coffee for mid morning or after noon tea.

Handy bag from Janes reminds you of the address and phone number.

The second time I tried them was at Fishguard Bay Hotel. Scrumptious.

The third time was on the Aviva train from Fishguard ferry port via Fishguard to change at another station for the train home to Paddington, London. At £1.50 for two small cakes, not with crockery, just from a train trolley, they seemed expensive. No receipt either.

But I still thought they were a good buy. They filled me up and left me feeling satisfied.

Tips
You can make them from a recipe such as Jamie Oliver or the BBC or the Welsh tourist board. Here's the recipe from the tourist board:
http://www.visitwales.com/explore/traditions-history/recipes/welsh-cakes

If you put a cross on them, scored with a knife, you can divide them into smaller pieces to go with coffee.

Welsh cakes bought on the Aviva local train. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Blas y Castell means Taste the Castle.
Welsh Cakes bought on the Aviva train from Fishguard to Whitland (where you can change onto the train to Paddington).

My ticket was via Whitland, which is an easy change of train. You stay on the same platform. Whitland has no café and no toilets, so if you go via Whitland you will be glad of the opportunity to buy food and drink on both trains.

Wikipedia says:

• Llech Cymraeg: cooked with plain flour (particularly wholemeal flour) - rather than the standard self-raising flour, and baking powder, resulting in a much flatter and crisper cake. Typically, this variant is made as a slab on a bakestone, or nowadays on a baking tray, hence the name Llech Cymraeg (literally, "Welsh slab").
• Jam Split: popular in South Wales. As the name suggests, this is a Welsh cake split horizontally, with jam (and sometimes butter) added, rather like a sandwich.
• Apple Dragon: Adding grated apple to the mix helps to keep the cakes moist for longer.
• The Newport Lovely: regional variant hand-crafted by the men of Newport for their women as either a wedding-gift, or engagement present.
• Mynydd Cymreig: (literally, Welsh Mountain): from North Wales, doubling the amount of baking powder results in their increased rising. They are also finely coated in icing sugar, symbolising the seasonal snow cap of some of the higher peaks in Snowdonia.
• The Kiwi Cake: exported by Welsh settlers, the Welsh cake has been produced in New Zealand for many years.

I think the Welsh Mountain Cake would be good for tea-time in a snowy winter or at Christmas.
Here's a recipe from Wikipedia:
Ingredients]

• 1 lb (450g) plain flour
• 8 oz (225g) butter
• 6 oz (170g) sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 oz (85g) currants, raisins or other dried fruit
• dash of milk
• pinch of salt

Procedure]

1. In a large mixing bowl, rub together butter, flour and salt until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Mix in sugar and fruit.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating together until mixture forms a thick dough. If dough will not form, add a small amount of milk.
4. Knead for two to three minutes until dough becomes cohesive and slightly elastic.
5. Roll dough out on a flat surface.
6. Cut two to three inch circles from the dough and fry on a griddle until golden brown.

Tips
Janes of Fishguard, Crafts, Coffee House14-18 High Street, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.
Website: Janes-fishguard.co.uk
https://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/ (trips, tours, offers: London; England, Scotland, Wales)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author, speaker. I have several other posts on Wales and Welsh language. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Reviving in Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds revived us with a late breakfast (known as brunch - half way in time and size between a big breakfast and a light lunch). Norfolk was the country we drove through, on our way to a seafood festival at the two seaside towns of Cromer and Sheringham.
   Bury St Edmunds outskirts greet you with a roundabout where the person supposed to be navigating is distracted by the impressive landmark circular towers. What are they?  The British sugar factory. Take and Lyle or a rival? Look - a plant sign saying British Sugar.
   We were so excited to pint this out to the driver, who wanted to see it, so to the puzzlement of the invisible policeman in the sky, we spun around the roundabout for a second time.
   'Take the ... exit!' The satnav lady's voice was busy directing us to take the ... exit.
   Suddenly we found ourselves in the car-trap of a one way system where all roads lead past parking signs and the town centre, where we start playing hunt a parking space.
  Mollified by the square towers and walls which have been there several centuries longer than the parking meters, we pull into the nearest vacated spot, willing to feed a hungry meter before feeding the hungry passengers.
  We bought half an hour on the meter, in case it turned out to be a waste of money making us drive off again. We were faced by two coffee shops immediately opposite on the corners of a cobblestoned uphill alley.  Unwilling to risk further distractions, we opted to overlook the central square - and our car.
Coffee Shop Stop
    The nearest coffee shop was the Scandinavia. The best part was having a window side seat. The service was friendly and watchful. The coffee and water were well served. The cooked breakfast too so long to prepare that we had no chance of finishing within half an hour. So no good for anybody in a hurry on a long journey. Nor for anybody with half an hour on the parking meter. We checked whether you had to drive away, but it looked as if you were allowed to 'feed the meter' - top up if you needed extra time.
   The scrambled egg did not thrill me.  I don't like lumps of white in it. At home we shirk with a hand held whisk which mixed the yolk and white.
   The curved sausage, a Cumberland sausage, was a novelty. Not local, but British, so entertaining for a foreigner or youngster who has never seen one before. We were not thrilled with the breakfast.
   Disconcertingly our window seat faced another coffee shop which advertised itself as being one of the best.
   However, a very pleasant brief stop, suggesting that Bury St Edmunds is worth a longer trip. Certainly, if you are with overseas visitors or history buffs, a good half way stop.

Bury St Edmunds Pay Parking

Through the huge gate towers are the abbey gardens.

Bury St Edmunds Coffee Stop

Coffee House on left