My grandmother had a Belling stove with two rings at the back and a square hot plate at the front.
I have an early memory of making Welsh cakes with her and griddling them on the stove top ready to eat warm, sprinkled lightly with sugar. As my grandfather was born in Monmouthshire, South Wales, these were frequently made in their house.
This recipe has survived the generations as I came across it tucked into my mother’s recipe book. The note at the bottom ‘For economy sake …’ portrays a sign of the times!
I have halved the given recipe and doubled the amount of butter and egg to give a richer dough. This amount makes about 16 cakes.
225g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
100g cold butter
50g currants
50g caster sugar
+ a little for sprinkling when cooked
1 egg, beaten
splash of milk to mix
Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the butter, cut into small pieces. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the currants, sugar and a pinch of salt and mix well. Add the egg and enough milk to make a fairly stiff dough.
Roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 1 cm and using a round 6 cm crinkle cutter, cut out the cakes. Heat a griddle (or cast-iron frying pan) – no oil required - and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook or they will burn. When they're done, sprinkle with caster sugar.
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