Welsh Cakes and Wimbledon

There is shocking news out of Wimbledon this year.

The ritzy Renshaw restaurant on the grounds of the All-England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (aka Wimbledon), has pushed aside scones to serve Welsh cakes.

(Share the love, er, match and click the “like” button to tell the algorithm how much you like afternoon tea, and bad tennis puns.)

Some guests, according to an article from the BBC, are disgusted by the Welsh interlopers, finding it a slap in the face of tradition.

That said, lunch, with a full afternoon tea included, costs a whopping £467.50 ($624.54) per person, so after adding Welsh cakes and bara brith to the menu, the chef appears to have conceded that guests who pay that much can definitely have scones as well.

While I adore scones, I firmly believe Welsh cakes deserve attention. Made from an enriched shortcrust dough—which basically means cookie-like pie dough—flavored with spices and filled with raisins, they dough is rolled out, cut into discs and cooked on a griddle. So, sort of like a pancake, but dense, yet tender, buttery and crumbly. So, texture wise, mebbe think of Welsh cakes like a scone, but if a big Welsh sheep sat upon it and squashed it flat.

I don’t suppose that description will get me working for the Welsh Food Alliance any time soon, but maybe if I show you this beautiful picture of the Welsh coastline…

• Welsh cakes take very little time to make. They are typically served with butter and jam, but I like them plain.

• The recipe makes 14 3” Welsh cakes. Any you don’t eat, you can wrap well and keep in the freezer. Reheat them before serving.

• Hate raisins? Use dried cranberries. Hate dried fruit? Mini chocolate chips are a great substitute (says the woman who wrote an entire book on chocolate chip cookies).

• Traditional recipes use an equal mix of butter and lard. I prefer all butter.

• The recipe calls for a mix of spices, but you can substitute a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice if you prefer.

• The recipe also asks for 1 to 2 tablespoons milk. Only add if after the addition of the egg you find the mixture is too crumbly to hold together when you grab a handful. Add one tablespoon at a time. When I make these sometimes I need one tablespoon and sometimes two.

• You can make the recipe using a food processor, or by hand.

Make yourself some Welsh cakes, fix yourself a bowl of cyclospora-free strawberries and cream, and fix yourself a nice cuppa (or better, a Pimms cup) and watch the World Cup, enjoy Wimbledon.

Make 14 3-inch cakes

2 cups + 2 tablespoons (225 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (85 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon mixed spice (recipe below)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 14 pieces

1/2 cup (50 grams) raisins

1 large egg, beaten

(1 - 2 tablespoons milk)

Extra butter for cooking

Extra granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

This makes enough for there to be leftovers, which are nice mixed with sugar and sprinkled over the cakes. Mix together

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Store leftovers in an airtight jar.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, mixed spice, salt and baking powder. Add the butter pieces, toss them in the flour mixture, then smoosh and crumble them by hand, tossing and smooshing, until the mixture looks like damp sand. Mix in the raisins.

2. Incorporate the egg with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened. Grab a handful. If it holds together, skip to number 3. If not, add a tablespoon of milk, and toss. Add another only if necessary.

3. Gather the dough together in a ball and transfer to a floured pastry board or clean counter. Roll the dough out 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 3- or 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the cakes, re-rolling the dough as necessary.

4. Heat a pan or griddle over medium-heat, Add a tablespoon or so of butter, and once it’s melted and hot, add as many cakes as fit in the pan without crowding. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Lower the heat if necessary.

5. Sprinkle both sides with granulated sugar while still warm. Best eaten warm. Butter and jam optional.

Using the metal blade the flour, sugar, mixed spice, baking powder and salt to the food processor and pulse 5 times to blend. Toss in the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, stir in the raisins and then follow the instructions from number 2 in the recipe above.

Why not make a proper afternoon tea, whip up some cucumber sandwiches (no crusts!) and bara brith and cheese scones?

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