Welsh cakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 110g butter, diced
• 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 1/3 cup (75g) currants or sultanas, or a mixture of both
• grated zest of half a lemon
• 1 egg, beaten
• a little milk, if needed
• a little extra butter for greasing
• 2 tbsp caster sugar, for sprinkling

Method

Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon into a bowl and add the diced butter.

Rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. It doesn‰Ûªt have to be perfect.

Mix in the sugar, currants, lemon zest and beaten egg and stir to form a dough, adding a splash of milk if too dry. Try not to work it too much or your cakes will be tough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1.5cm.

Cut into rounds with a 6 or 7cm plain cutter.

Warm a heavy based frypan over a medium to low heat.

With a piece of kitchen paper, wipe some extra butter over the frypan until lightly coated.

Cook each cake for about 4 minutes each side or until golden brown ‰ÛÒ check them often to make sure they do not burn. Sprinkle with caster sugar and serve.

Note

• TraditionallyåÊ these are served with a pot of tea. They are so easy you could even get the children to help while you have a cup of tea after your busy day. Afternoon snack and activity all rolled into one.
• You can split them like a scone and top with whipped cream and jam to be fancy.
• Apparently they keep in an airtight container for up to 4 four days, but honestly, they‰Ûªve never lasted long enough in our house to test that theory.
• This recipe was created by Michele Crawford for Kidspot, New Zealand’s beståÊrecipe finder.