Welsh Cakes, in Wales!

Mae'r rysait nesaf penderfynais I roi cynnig oedd cacennau Cymreig. For those of you not fluent in Welsh (or at least Google's attempt at a Welsh translation!) that was supposed to tell you that the next recipe I decided to try was Welsh cakes. There was a very good reason for this. Last weekend was the Cardiff Bay Food Festival, where a very good friend of mine was tirelessly selling chocolate brownies to hungry customers for three days. I went down for a quick visit, involving close to my own body weight in chocolate brownies and a few drinks (or was it the other way round...?) and decided to take some of Delia's Welsh cakes with me to really put one of her recipes to the test.

For me, Welsh cakes should always be presented in an old margarine tub.

 

Personally, I hadn't ever heard of Welsh cakes until the first time Lowri (Morgan Dennis... could you get a more Welsh name?) returned to (the recently flattened) Chamberlain Hall at Birmingham Uni from a trip home with a tub of Stork. This was, however, no ordinary Stork tub. It was a Stork tub filled with Welsh cakes made for us by Lowri's gran. I was suspicious at first - who wouldn't be suspicious of something that looked like a fruit scone someone had sat on? - but had to admit there was something moreish about them, and I was soon a convert. In all my years of baking, I'd never tried to make my own until this week. Delia's recipe can be found on page 100 of her book, and although (as far as I know) she has no Welsh heritage, they turned out pretty great.

 

For those who haven't had the pleasure of trying one, squashed scone is a fairly accurate description, and the method for making them is pretty similar. The main difference is that they are made on top of the stove in a large flat frying pan. This does have the downside of not being able to put your feet up with a brew feeling smug for a blissful 10 minutes while you convince yourself you are the best baker ever as your creation bakes (that is, until they come out of the oven not looking quite like the picture in the book and your bubble is forever burst - or is that just me?).  That said, they only take 3 minutes on each side (Siri was put to some serious work on my iPhone for this one!) so it isn't too much of a hassle and it's quite satisfying to watch them quickly turn a golden brown. They really do taste fantastic when they're still warm - you can add a bit of butter or jam (or Welsh honey as Delia suggests), but they are just as good on their own.


They made the journey to Cardiff with me, and out to the food festival at Cardiff Bay (which was brilliant if you ever get a chance to go) where I spotted a few Welsh cakes on sale, although not as many as I expected. I left my Welsh cakes nervously with the Dennis family who all had a taste, and in spite of the hilarious photo shoot of Lowri's dad pulling various disgusted faces, I was told that they were liked! If you want to make a Welsh guest feel at home, or you fancy trying a bit of a twist on a scone, I would definitely recommend these. They are quick and easy to make and they keep quite well for a few days in an airtight container (such as an old Stork tub...).

A big 'diolch' to all the Welsh tasters that helped out with this one!