Welsh cake

Welsh cakes (Welsh: "picau ar y maen", "pice bach", "cacen gri" or "teisen radell") are traditional Welsh snacks.

The cakes are also known as bakestones within Wales because they are traditionally cooked on a bakestone (Welsh: "maen"), a cast iron griddle about 1.5 cm or more thick which is placed on the fire or cooker.

Welsh cakes are made from flour, butter or lard, eggs, sugar, and currants and/or raisins. They are roughly circular, a couple of inches (4–6 cm) in diameter and about half an inch (1–1.5 cm) thick.

Welsh cakes are served hot or cold dusted with caster sugar. Unlike scones, they are not usually eaten with an accompaniment, though they are sometimes sold ready split and spread with jam, and they are sometimes buttered. They are often eaten with a pot of tea.

In some regions of Wales, the bakestone is a food separate from the Welsh cake, being larger and less sweet.

Variation

* Llech Cymreig: cooked with plain flour (particularly wholemeal flour), rather than the standard self-raising flour and baking powder, resulting in a much flatter and crisper cake. Typically, this variant is made as a slab on a bakestone, or nowadays on a baking tray, hence the name Llech Cymreig (literally, "Welsh slab").

* Jam Split: popular in the South Wales Valleys. As the name suggests, this is a Welsh cake split horizontally, with jam (and sometimes butter) added, rather like a sandwich.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/welshcakes_67264.shtml The BBC's description]
* [http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,welsh_cakes,FF.html Welsh cake/bakestone recipes]
* [http://www.hub-uk.com/tallyrecip01/recipe0023.htm Welsh Cakes (Picau ar y maen) Recipe]
* [http://www.welshgriddles.co.uk/welsh_cakes.htm Traditional Welsh Griddles]