Eccles Cakes
I used a Delia Smith recipe from my well thumbed copy of 'Complete Illustrated Cookery Course'. I find these a lot easier to make than they look and apparently they freeze well (afraid I wouldn't know as they don't last that long here!) as this recipe makes between 18-24, I got 22 out of this batch.
Ingredients:
The Pastry
225g of plain flour
175g of butter or margarine
a good pinch of salt
cold water (to mix)
For the Filling
75g of butter
150g of soft brown sugar
150g of currants
1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
grated rind of a large orange
50g of finely chopped peel
To finish-
milk
caster sugar
1. (for the pastry) Weigh the margarine (hard from the refrigerator), then wrap it in a piece of foil and place it in the freezer for 30minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt into a bowl, then when you take the margarine out of the freezer, dip it into the flour, then grate it on a coarse grater placed in the bowl over the flour. 3. Carry on dipping the margarine down into the flour to make it easier to grate. When you have finished, you will have a lump of grated margarine sitting in the middle of the flour.
4. Take a palette knife and start to cut the flat into the flour (Do NOT use your hands) until the mixture is crumbly. Now add enough water so that the dough forms and it leaves the bowl clean (you now can use your hands for the dough).
5. Place in a polythene bag and chill in the refrigerator (the main section) for 30minutes.
6.Start to melt the butter for the filling in a small saucepan.
7. Take off the heat, and stir in all of the ingredients for the filling thoroughly. Leave to cool.
8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
9. Roll out to about 3mm thick, then using a plain 9cm cutter, cut the pastry into rounds.
10. Put a teaspoon of filling onto each round, then brush the edge of the half circle of the pastry with water, and bring the other side up to seal it. Then bring the corners u to the centre and pinch to seal well.
11. Turn the sealed parcels over, so that seam is underneath, then gently roll it flat to 5mm thick, and pat into a round shape.
12. Place onto a greased baking sheet and gash each caked diagonally across 3 times, using a sharp knife.
13. Brush the cakes with milk, and sprinkle with caster sugar.
14. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 220c for about 15 minutes or until golden sugar.
15. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
