Thanks for
having me along today, ladies. I’m delighted to have the chance to share a
recipe that’s been in my family for generations. Welsh cakes are traditional
tea-time treats in Wales, and every home will have its own recipe for ‘the
perfect Welsh cakes’. (Everyone swears theirs are the best!) With that in mind,
I’ll mention some alternative choices up-front: I use currants whereas some
will prefer sultanas – if that’s a switch you choose to make, don’t add the
sultanas until after you’ve rubbed
the flour, salt and sugar to the breadcrumb stage…sultanas will squish; also, I
use all butter, while I know many people (my mother included) prefer to use all
cooking margarine, or half and half; finally, some will use the same amount of
sugar as butter, but I find this too sweet, hence the slightly reduced amount.
Ingredients:
1 lb
all-purpose flour
7 ozs
granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine
salt
6 ozs
currants
7 ounces
chilled, cubed butter (I prefer slightly salted)
1 medium egg
Milk (as
necessary)
Flour for
rolling out
(Makes about
40 cakes, using 2 inch-diameter cutter)
Equipment:
Bakestone
(this is a large, flat disk made of cast iron – you’ll find most Welsh
households have one. It’s placed directly on the heat. When I migrated to
Canada I carried mine in my suitcase – it takes a lot to separate a Welshwoman
from her bakestone!)
Alternatively
– cast iron griddle or cast iron pan
Fork
Cutting ring
– your choice of diameter – I used 2 inches, fluted edge is traditional
Rolling pin
Metal
spatula/slice for flipping while cooking
Method:
1) Bring
bakestone/griddle to high heat, then turn down to low – heat needs to be
constant when you’re cooking
2) Mix
flour, salt, sugar and currents together
3) Rub
butter into the mixture until you achieve a breadcrumb-like consistency
4) Make a
well, crack in your egg
5) With a
fork, whisk the mixture into the egg, adding milk as you go to produce a
dry-ish mix that just hold and squashes together
6) Place in
a mound on a floured surface, roll out to about one quarter of an inch thick
7) Cut
rounds and place them on a large, cold plate
8) Put one
cake on your griddle to test temperature – the heat needs to brown the cake
without burning it. You flip it over just once, then cook until it’s no longer
squishy – meaning the center has cooked. This test allows you to work out
temperature and timing. Usually the first one doesn’t work out too well, which
is why you try just one, rather than loading the griddle.
9) Load the
bakestone/griddle and turn cakes just once.
10) Allow to
cool.
11) To be
served cold, without butter, jam, or anything at all – they are perfect just as
they are!
Either store
in an airtight container for a week, or freeze (for up to three months) and
allow to thaw naturally.
I'm delighted to offer a giveaway--a copy of The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer. Leave a comment below and I'll choose one winner (randomly!). US and Canadian comments welcome!
I'm delighted to offer a giveaway--a copy of The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer. Leave a comment below and I'll choose one winner (randomly!). US and Canadian comments welcome!
ABOUT THE
BOOK: In the second WISE Enquiries Agency Mystery, THE CASE OF THE MISSING
MORRIS DANCER, Henry, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is getting married. One
of the troupe of Morris dancers due to lead the duke and his freshly-minted
duchess from the church to their stately home has disappeared, threatening this
critical (to the local community) Welsh wedding tradition. The four women of
the WISE Enquiries Agency – one is Welsh, one Irish, one Scottish and one
English, hence the acronym, who are softly-boiled but utterly professional
private investigators working out of a converted barn on the spectacular
Chellingworth estate in Powys, Wales – are aided and abetted by Althea Twyst, the
dowager duchess, as they investigate the case and try to save the day. As a
part of the wedding festivities the Young Wives’ Group in the village of
Anwen-by-Wye, led by the indomitable Marjorie Pritchard, have to produce a
couple of thousand Welsh cakes. Marjorie’s militaristic planning of the task is
quite spectacular!
“This charming sequel
to The Case of the Dotty Dowager will delight M.C. Beaton and Jeanne M. Dams
readers as the lively ladies use their individual talents to track down their
quarry.” Library Journal, January 2016. The book is released in February
2016, and can now be ordered at your local bookstore, online, or at your local
library. (NOTE: In April 2016, Cait Morgan Mystery #7, THE CORPSE WITH THE
GARNET FACE, is published.)
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR: Cathy Ace was born and raised in Swansea, South Wales, and worked in
marketing communications for decades across Europe. Having migrated to Canada
in 2000, she now lives in beautiful British Columbia, where her ever-supportive
husband (and two chocolate Labradors) ensure she’s able to write full-time. Cathy
writes two series of mystery books: the Cait Morgan Mysteries, and the WISE
Enquiries Agency Mysteries. Her fourth Cait Morgan Mystery, The Corpse with the
Platinum Hair, won the 2015 Bony Blithe Award for Best Canadian Light Mystery.
You can find
out more about Cathy and both her series of traditional, cozy mysteries at her
website (and sign up for her newsletter on the homepage) at: http://cathyace.com/
Like Cathy’s
Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Cathy-Ace-Author-318388861616661/?ref=hl
Follow Cathy
on Twitter: @AceCathy
The Welsh cakes look yummy! Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jen. They really are yummy, and I had to make a LOT to do this photography :-)
DeleteYummy! They look perfect for the cold and snowy January day - with a cup of tea and a good book, of course! Thanks for sharing your recipe and the details about your series which sounds fun, too (I love the idea of/acronym of the WISE Enquiries Agency)! Nicole :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole - they're perfect whatever the weather (but I accept I am biased!)I'm glad you like the acronym - it's fun to write about four strong, yet markedly different, women
DeleteWelcome, Cathy! I visited Wales quite a few years ago and loved it, although I can't recall having had tea anywhere, alas (I did, however, learn a new way to fold socks at a laundromat in Caernarvon). Now I'm coveting a bakestone. I love the way you've given your WISE women different backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteNever having been in a launderette/laundromat in Caernarvon (that must be quite a tale!) I probably fold my socks just like anyone else (or maybe there's a WELSH way you discovered and I've always been doing it!?). It's fun to create four such very different characters, and to spend time with them.
DeleteWelcome to MLK Cathy! it's wonderful that you are Welsh through and through and don't need to make up the details. I want a bakestone now too...
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me to visit; it's been a pleasure. And I have a secret hiding place for my bakestone - so don't go getting any ideas!
DeleteThe Welsh cakes look delicious. Your WISE women detectives series is a great premise. I have to look for the books now!
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - I'm glad you like the look of the Welscakes...and of course I;m delighted you like the premise for the WISE Enquiries Agency books. I hope you're able to find them and enjoy them :-)
DeleteThe Welsh cakes sound delicious and I'm delighted to be introduced to a new series.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great "handle" you have, PlumGaga! I hope you enjoy meeting the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency :-)
DeleteThe Welsh cakes look delicious. The series is new to me, and I thank you for the chance to win. Dmskrug3@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteHello Daniele - I'm so grateful to THESE lovely ladies for allowing me to reach out to people, like you, who know and admire them and their work, but who haven't met MY ladies yet. I hope you enjoy spending time with the women of the WISE Enquiries Agecny some time soon - with a Welsh cake to nibble on when you do :-)
DeleteThese look yummy and a new series to try! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeletekaren(dot)kenyon(at)rogers(dot)com
Hi Karen - I promise you they ARE yummy! And I hope you get to try them, and meet the woman of the WISE Enquiries Agency soon :-)
DeleteI *love* that you brought your bakestone with you. You clearly had your priorities straight. Love the recipe and will definitely be trying it! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Krista - oh yes, the years spent getting it to the point where it always works well would all have been lost if I'd left it behind! Happy baking :-)
DeleteDefinitely a yummy looking recipe and I can't wait to read this book
ReplyDeleteHi there - I'm so pleased you think both sound good enough , and fun enough, to try....and maybe you can even enjoy them together :-)
DeleteMy Great-Great Grandparents were from Aberdare, Wales, so I loved seeing this recipe. Somehow, no recipes were passed down through my Grandmother, so I'm glad to have this one -- very special!
ReplyDeleteHello Celia - I'm so sorry you don't have any recipes from your Welsh ancestors...by all means try this one, tweak it to suit, then have it as YOUR OWN! Maybe for St. David's Day?
DeleteThose Welsh cakes sound interesting. I look forward to this book.
ReplyDeletemarlene.ezell@gmail.com
Hello Marlene - they're easy enough for anyone to make, even with children (though keep them away from the bakestone!) and I really hope you enjoy them, and the book :-)
DeleteI enjoyed your first book in the new WISE series and look forward to this second one. Great title...and you can educate some of the unaware about Morris dancers too!
ReplyDeleteThanks kk - thanks for already having chosen to spend time with the WISE Women, and I hope you enjoy the second book. As for the Morris dancing - oh yes, it'll tickle your fancy, I'm sure :-)
DeleteI enjoyed your first book in the new WISE series and look forward to this second one. Great title...and you can educate some of the unaware about Morris dancers too!
ReplyDeleteNot wanting to leave this duplicate comment hanging....THANKS kk :-)
DeleteAnew series to me and sounds good. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
ReplyDeleteHello Rosie - I'm so glad you like the sound of it, and hope you enjoy meeting the WISE women :-)
DeleteI so enjoyed the first WISE Enquiries Agencies mystery, and I've been looking forward to this new one, Cathy. I seem to be gravitating toward Welsh things these days. I'm currently reading a novel set there, and I've added Wales to my dream trip to Great Britain. I think it's a very loyal act to have brought your bakestone with you, a commitment to you Welsh heritage. Thanks for the recipe and pictures.
ReplyDeleteHello Kathy - I'm so chuffed that you've already met the WISE Women...and that you liked them enough to want to visit them again! To be honest, bringing the bakestone wasn't a huge decision - they'd have had to tear it away from me after having spent to many years getting it perfectly seasoned! But, you're right, it would be difficult to get one anywhere other than Wales :-)
DeleteI'm always pleased to discover another author of the fun mysteries and especially with a Celtic bend. I can't wait to get into your WISE series. I expect the women to become my favourite characters.
ReplyDeleteHello Pat - I'm pleased to meet you here, and hope you enjoy meeting the WISE Women - they're fun :-)(Yes, I know I'm biased!)
DeleteI'm looking forward to reading this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks - anyone with "Booklover" in their handle is someone I hope will enjoy meeting the WISE Women :-)
DeleteThis book sounds fascinating and intriguing. Love your books. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like the sound of it...and since your handle is "traveler" I have a feeling you'll enjoy visiting Wales :-)
DeleteThe Welsh cakes have made me hungry. Thanks for the
ReplyDeletechance to win. Do some cakes come with the book?
Carol Smith
penelope223(at)yahoo(dot)com
Hello there - thanks for entering, but I'm afraid Welsh cakes are something best made with a dollop of your own love in them ;-)
DeleteThank you for sharing your wonderful tea time recipe. The book sounds intriguing; thank for the opportunity to win it.
ReplyDeleteHello MaryAnn - I'm really happy th share my recipe...and glad you like the sound of the book :-)
DeleteDelectable Welsh cakes. Interesting book that would be enjoyable. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteLove the handle...and I tried to bring the WISE Women to life in a delectable way too ;-)
DeleteOh, I certainly need to check out this series! It sounds SO interesting!! Thank you for the opportunity. I'm buying book one in anticipation of winning the second one! 😉
ReplyDelete