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Eccles cakes are a traditional English pastry that has been enjoyed for centuries. These delightful cakes are made with a flaky puff pastry crust and filled with a sweet and sticky mixture of currants, sugar, and spices. The combination of flavors and textures makes them a truly irresistible treat. This article provides three tempting recipes for eccles cakes, each with its own unique twist. The first recipe is a classic version that uses a traditional puff pastry crust and a simple filling of currants, sugar, and spices. The second recipe adds a touch of luxury with a filling made with dried fruits, nuts, and citrus zest. The third recipe is a vegan version that uses a plant-based butter and a filling made with fresh berries. No matter which recipe you choose, you're sure to enjoy these delicious and satisfying cakes. Let's cook with our recipes!
ECCLES CAKES
A British institution, these tasty treats aren't traditional cakes as we know them, but rather flaky, buttery hand pies filled with a delicious combination of dried fruit.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Pie & Tarts Recipes
Yield Makes 14 to 15
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Pate Brisee:Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together. To test, squeeze a small amount together; if it is crumbly, add up to 1/4 cup more ice water, a little at a time. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Filling:In a large heatproof bowl, combine both raisins, figs, and dates. Add boiling water and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Strain and discard liquid. In a separate bowl, mix together granulated sugar, flour, salt, and orange zest and juice until combined. Fold in softened fruit. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut out rounds (you should have about 7); transfer to prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining disk. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 teaspoon water for egg wash; set aside.
- Spread each round with 1 tablespoon filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush edges with egg wash, then fold to make a half-moon shape and press to seal edges. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.
- Using a paring knife, make three diagonal slits across each cake. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely before serving.
ECCLES CAKES
From the North of England, these cakes are pastries, a sweet and spicy mixture in a puff pastry case with a shiny coating -- best eaten straight from the oven.
Provided by Norma
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European UK and Ireland English
Time 45m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Sprinkle a baking sheet with water.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in currants, mixed peel, demerara sugar and mixed spice. Stir until sugar is dissolved and fruit is well coated. Remove from heat.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 8 (5 inch) circles, using a saucer as a guide. Divide the fruit mixture evenly between the circles. Moisten the edges of the pastry, pull the edges to the center and pinch to seal. Invert filled cakes on the floured surface and roll out gently to make a wider, flatter circle, but do not break the dough.
- Brush each cake with egg white and sprinkle generously with white sugar. Make three parallel cuts across the top of each cake, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, until golden.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 267.5 calories, Carbohydrate 31.8 g, Cholesterol 7.6 mg, Fat 14.6 g, Fiber 1.4 g, Protein 3 g, SaturatedFat 4.8 g, Sodium 104 mg, Sugar 14.1 g
ENGLISH ECCLES CAKE
Provided by Emily Ansara Baines
Categories Cake Dessert Bake Dried Fruit Spice Cinnamon Nutmeg Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Yields 6-8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Thoroughly grease a large baking sheet.
- 2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in currants, fruit peel, white sugar, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly until sugar is dissolved and fruit is coated. Remove from heat.
- 3. Roll out thawed pastry on a clean, lightly-floured surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut out eight circles, each roughly 5 inches in diameter; set aside remaining pastry dough for use in other recipes. Divide currant mixture evenly between circles, then moisten edges of pastries with a little bit of milk, fold together, and pinch to seal.
- 4. Turn pastries upside down onto floured surface and carefully roll out to make a wider and flatter pastry. Be careful not to break the dough.
- 5. Brush cakes with beaten egg, then sprinkle with white sugar. Make three parallel cuts across the top of each cake, then place on greased baking sheet.
- 6. Bake pastries in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and sprinkle with a little more sugar, then serve.
ECCLES CAKES
Sticky and packed with fruit, with extra flaky and light pastry, these Eccles cakes are just about perfect
Provided by Barney Desmazery
Categories Afternoon tea, Treat
Time 2h20m
Yield Makes 10 (easily doubled)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- To make the pastry, dice the butter and put it in the freezer to go really hard. Tip flour into the bowl of a food processor with half the butter and pulse to the texture of breadcrumbs. Pour in the lemon juice and 100ml iced water, and pulse to a dough. Tip in the rest of the butter and pulse a few times until the dough is heavily flecked with butter. It is important that you don't overdo this as the flecks of butter are what makes the pastry flaky.
- On a floured surface roll the pastry out to a neat rectangle about 20 x 30cm. Fold the two ends of the pastry into the middle (See picture 1), then fold in half (pic 2). Roll the pastry out again and refold the same way 3 more times resting the pastry for at least 15 mins each time between roll and fold, then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins before using.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Take it off the heat and stir in all the other ingredients until completely mixed, then set aside.
- To make the cakes, roll the pastry out until it's just a little thicker than a £1 coin and cut out 8 rounds about 12cm across. Re-roll the trimming if needed. Place a good heaped tablespoon of mixture in the middle of each round, brush the edges of the rounds with water, then gather the pastry around the filling and squeeze it together (pic 3). Flip them over so the smooth top is upwards and pat them into a smooth round. Flatten each round with a rolling pin to an oval until the fruit just starts to poke through, then place on a baking tray. Cut 2 little slits in each Eccles cakes, brush generously with egg white and sprinkle with the sugar (pic 4).
- Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Bake the Eccles cakes for 15-20 mins until just past golden brown and sticky. Leave to cool on a rack and enjoy while still warm or cold with a cup of tea. If you prefer, Eccles cakes also go really well served with a wedge of hard, tangy British cheese such as Lancashire or cheddar.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 445 calories, Fat 23 grams fat, SaturatedFat 14 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 58 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 31 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 4 grams protein, Sodium 0.41 milligram of sodium
ECCLES CAKES
These pastries are traditional for tea in northern England. You can add candied fruit peel to the currants.
Provided by Olha7397
Categories European
Time 30m
Yield 20 eccles
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- PASTRY: Mix together flour and salt.
- Cut in lard and butter.
- In measuring cup, mix egg and lemon juice; add cold water to make 1/2 cup liquid; beat with fork.
- Stirring with fork, add enough liquid to flour mixture to make soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Wrap and chill for several hours.
- FILLING: Cover currants with boiling water, let stand 5 minutes, then DRAIN.
- Cream butter with sugar; stir in spices and currants.
- Roll out pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 3 1/2 inch rounds.
- Place spoonful of filling (about 2 tsp.) in centre of each, bring up edges of pastry and pinch well to seal.
- Turn over and flatten gently with a rolling pin to make round cakes.
- (Currants should just show below surface.) Place on ungreased baking sheet; brush with egg, and sprinkle with sugar.
- Cut 2 slashes in top of each.
- Bake in 425 F.
- oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Makes about 20 pastries.
- Canadian Living Cookbook.
EASY ECCLES CAKES
These classic British pastries are filled with currants, citrus peel, lemon and spice. Try our foolproof method for a crispy, sugar-sprinkled finish
Provided by Sarah Cook
Categories Dessert, Treat
Time 1h12m
Yield Makes 6
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- The night before, wrap the butter for the pastry in foil and freeze.
- The following day, tip your flour into a big bowl with 2 pinches of salt. Hold the butter block in the foil (peeling back a little at a time as you need), then coarsely grate straight into the bowl of flour, dipping the end of the butter into the flour every so often - this helps to stop all the butter clumping together. Use a round-bladed palette or cutlery knife, and lightly stir together. Stir in about 125ml cold water to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
- To make the filling, melt the 50g butter, then mix in the muscovado sugar, currants, mixed peel, zest and spices. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a 20p piece. Use a 15cm cutter to stamp out 6 rounds, re-rolling the trimmings if necessary. Divide the filling equally and place in the middle of each round, then brush the edges with a bit of water. Pull up the edges all around each one and pinch to seal.
- Turn over the cakes so the seam is underneath, and lightly roll with a floured rolling pin to a flat-ish round. Re-shape to a neat round. Whisk the egg white with a fork until frothy. Use a pastry brush to brush it over the tops of the Eccles cakes, then sprinkle heavily with sugar. Slash the top of each cake 2-3 times to allow the steam to escape. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 mins until golden and crisp.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 514 calories, Fat 16 grams fat, SaturatedFat 7 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 88 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 48 grams sugar, Fiber 4 grams fiber, Protein 7 grams protein, Sodium 0.5 milligram of sodium
Tips:
- Use good quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the final flavor of your eccles cakes.
- Make sure your butter is cold. This will help to create a flaky pastry.
- Don't overwork the dough. Overworking the dough will make it tough.
- Chill the dough before rolling it out. This will help to prevent the dough from shrinking in the oven.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough. This will help to prevent the dough from tearing.
- Brush the cakes with milk before baking. This will help to give them a golden brown color.
- Don't overbake the cakes. Overbaking the cakes will make them dry.
Conclusion:
Eccles cakes are a delicious and traditional British treat. They are perfect for any occasion, and they are sure to be a hit with your friends and family. With a little bit of planning and effort, you can easily make your own eccles cakes at home. So what are you waiting for? Give this recipe a try today!
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