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Eccles cakes recipe

Eccles cakes recipe

15 ratings

Eccles cakes are little pastry pies filled with currants, mixed peel and spices. Delicious with a cup of tea! See method

  • Makes 16
  • 45 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook
  • 227 calories / serving
  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • a pinch of salt
  • 175g unsalted butter, frozen
  • 1 medium egg white, lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar​

For the filling

  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 75g soft light brown sugar
  • 150g currants
  • 50g chopped mixed peel
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 lemon, zested 
  • 1 orange, zested, ½ juiced

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    950kj
    227kcal     11%

  • Fat

    11g 16%

  • Saturates

    6g 32%

  • Sugars

    15g 17%

  • Salt

    0.1g 1%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 31.1g Protein 2.6g Fibre 1.2g

Method

  1. To make the pastry, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl and coarsely grate over 75g frozen butter (return the rest of the butter to the freezer). Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Pour 75-90ml (as needed) ice-cold water into the mixture and bring together to make quite a firm dough. 
  2. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a roughly 20 x 30cm rectangle. Grate half the remaining butter over the bottom two-thirds of the pastry, then fold down the top third and fold the bottom third over the top. 
  3. Turn the rectangle 90 degrees, then roll out again to a 20 x 30cm rectangle and repeat with the remaining butter. Wrap in clingfilm, then transfer to the fridge for 30 mins. 
  4. Meanwhile, melt the butter for the filling in a large saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir through the remaining filling ingredients. Set aside. 
  5. Heat the oven to gas 8, 220°C, fan 200°C. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a ½cm thickness. Stamp out 16 x 8cm rounds, re-rolling any offcuts if you need to. Place heaped tsps of the filling into the centre of each disc, brush the edges with water and bring the pastry up and over the filling like a money bag, pinching in the centre to seal. Turn the cakes over and gently flatten each with the palm of your hand, shaping into rounds about 8cm wide. Make 3 small slits in the top of each pastry, then brush the tops with the egg white. Sprinkle over the sugar. 
  6. Transfer the cakes to 2 large, nonstick baking sheets, spacing them a little apart. Bake for 15-20 mins until risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve warm or cool. The cakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

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