Eccles Cakes

Method11 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Dice all 250 g pastry butter and freeze it until really hard. Put all 350 g flour in a food processor with only half of this hard diced butter, 125 g, and pulse to a breadcrumb texture. Keep the other 125 g hard diced pastry butter cold and separate; keep the separate 25 g filling butter out of the pastry.

   Uses 250 g butter for pastry, diced and frozen hard in step 1 · 350g Plain Flour

2. 2

   Step 2: Squeeze the pastry half lemon. Pour all its juice and the measured 100 ml iced water into the actual breadcrumb mixture and pulse just to form a dough. Add the separately held remaining 125 g hard diced pastry butter and pulse only a few times so the actual dough stays heavily flecked with butter.

   Uses All actual breadcrumbs, followed by the held 125 g hard diced pastry butter · Juice of ½ lemon for pastry · 100 ml iced water for pastry

3. 3

   Step 3: Stop processing as soon as the dough is combined with visible butter flecks. Scrape the complete actual dough out, avoiding further processing that would remove its flaky texture.

   Uses All actual rough-puff dough

4. 4

   Step 4: Lightly flour the surface with some of the extra rolling flour. Roll the actual dough into a neat 20 × 30 cm rectangle, fold both ends into the middle, then fold the rectangle in half.

   Uses All actual dough · Some available extra flour for the first rolling surface

5. 5

   Step 5: Rest the actual first-fold pastry in the refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes. Roll and fold it the same way three more times, resting at least fifteen minutes between successive rolls and folds. After the final fold, refrigerate the actual pastry for at least thirty minutes before using it.

   Uses All actual folded pastry · More available rolling flour, only as needed

6. 6

   Step 6: While the pastry chills, wash and zest the filling lemon. Melt only the separate 25 g filling butter in a large saucepan, then take it off the heat. Stir in all the currants (200g), mixed peel (50g), muscovado sugar (100g), ground cinnamon (1 tsp), ground ginger (1 tsp), ground allspice (1 tsp) and filling lemon zest until evenly combined, then hold the actual filling ready.

   Uses 25 separate g butter for currant filling · 200g Currants · 50g Mixed Peel · 100g Muscovado Sugar · 1 tsp ground cinnamon · 1 tsp ground ginger · 1 tsp ground allspice · Zest of 1 lemon for filling

7. 7

   Step 7: After the final thirty-minute chill, roll the actual pastry on a lightly floured surface until just a little thicker than a £1 coin. Cut eight rounds about 12 cm across, gathering and rerolling the trimmings as needed.

   Uses All actual chilled pastry · Some held extra flour for final rolling, only as needed

8. 8

   Step 8: Put a good heaped tablespoon of the actual currant filling in the middle of each of the eight rounds, sharing more filling between them if it fits while leaving sealable edges. Keep any excess filling separately. Brush each round edge with the separate sealing water, gather the pastry around its filling and pinch securely shut. Turn each cake seam-side down and pat into a smooth round.

   Uses All eight actual pastry rounds · Actual filling for the eight rounds, as much as can be sealed; keep excess separately · A little separate water for brushing pastry edges

9. 9

   Step 9: Gently flatten each actual filled cake with a rolling pin into an oval until fruit just starts to show, then put them on a baking tray. Cut two small steam slits in each. Separate the glaze egg, beat its white, brush the tops generously with this actual egg white and sprinkle with the separate topping sugar. Keep the unused yolk separately.

   Uses All eight actual filled cakes · White of 1 egg for pastry glaze, beaten in step 9 · Sugar for sprinkling over pastry tops, as desired

10. 10

    Step 10: Heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas 8. Bake all eight actual cakes for fifteen to twenty minutes until just beyond golden brown and sticky.

    Bake eight Eccles cakes · 20 minUses All eight actual prepared cakes

11. 11

    Step 11: Move the baked cakes to a wire rack to cool. Serve the eight cakes warm or cold, with the optional hard British cheese if wanted.

    Uses All eight actual baked cakes · A wedge Lancashire or Cheddar cheese for optional serving, as desired