Eccles Cakes
Buttery, flaky pastry parcels filled with spiced currants and mixed peel β a classic British teatime treat. Best enjoyed warm from the oven, with a cup of tea or a wedge of tangy Lancashire cheese.
Ingredients
-
Butterβ 250 g 17.9 pcs
-
Plain Flourβ 350 g π§ 583.3 ml π₯ 2Β½ cup
-
Muscovado Sugarβ 100 g π§ 113.6 ml π₯ 7β tbsp
-
Sugarβ 50 g π§ 58.8 ml π₯ 4 tbsp
-
Butterβ 25 g 1ΒΎ pcs
-
Currantsβ 200 g None
-
Eggsβ 50 g π₯ 1 pcs
-
Mixed Peelβ 50 g None
-
Lemonβ 100 g π 1ΒΌ pcs
-
Lemonβ 100 g π 1ΒΌ pcs
-
Gingerβ 2.5 g ΒΌ pcs
-
Allspiceβ 2.5 g π§ 4.9 ml π₯ 1 tsp
-
Cinnamonβ 2.5 g ΒΎ pcs
Total nutrition
4043 kcal
* % Daily Value based on 2000 kcal diet.
Instructions
- To make the pastry, dice 250g butter and place it in the freezer until very hard. Tip 350g plain flour into the bowl of a food processor with half the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour in the juice of half a lemon and 100ml iced water, then pulse to bring together into a dough. Add the remaining butter and pulse a few more times until the dough is heavily flecked with pieces of butter β do not overwork it, as these flecks are what create the flaky layers.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to a neat rectangle of approximately 20 Γ 30cm. Fold both short ends into the centre, then fold in half again. Roll out once more and repeat this folding process three additional times, resting the pastry for at least 15 minutes between each roll and fold. After the final fold, rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
- To make the filling, melt 25g butter in a large saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in 200g currants, 50g mixed peel, 100g muscovado sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp allspice and the zest of one lemon until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Roll the chilled pastry out until slightly thicker than a Β£1 coin and cut out 8 rounds approximately 12cm in diameter, re-rolling the trimmings as needed. Place a generous heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each round. Brush the edges with water, gather the pastry up around the filling and pinch firmly to seal. Flip each cake over so the smooth side faces upward and pat into a neat round. Gently flatten each one with a rolling pin into an oval shape until the fruit just begins to show through the surface. Arrange on a baking tray, cut two small slits in the top of each cake, brush generously with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Heat the oven to 220Β°C (200Β°C fan / gas mark 8). Bake the Eccles cakes for 15β20 minutes until deep golden brown and slightly sticky. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool a little before serving warm, or leave to cool completely. They are delicious with a cup of tea and pair particularly well with a wedge of hard, tangy British cheese such as Lancashire or mature cheddar.
Source:
TheMealDB
β¨ Sign up to rate this recipe and get a personalized feed