Welsh Cakes
Welsh Cakes are traditional spiced griddle cakes made with plain flour, butter, lard, currants and warm cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The Thermomix TM7 weighs the flour directly, mixes the crumbly dough evenly and blends the egg into the mixture, giving you consistent, fragrant cakes ready to bake on a hot pan.
About this recipe
Welsh Cakes Thermomix TM7 bring a beloved Welsh tradition straight into your kitchen with minimal effort. These spiced griddle cakes, sometimes called bakestones, combine plain flour, cold butter and lard with currants and a fragrant trio of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Searching for Welsh Cakes recipes or an easy traditional snack for your all-in-one kitchen machine? This one delivers. The TM7 weighs the flour and sugar directly into the bowl, mixes the fat into the flour until it resembles fine crumbs, and blends the egg through evenly, so the dough comes together in minutes without sticky hands. The result is a tender, scone-like cake with a golden crust and a dusting of caster sugar, perfect for afternoon tea, a lunchbox treat or a cosy weekend bake with the children. Because the dough is mixed gently rather than overworked, every cake stays soft inside while turning deliciously crisp at the edges.
Preparation tips
- Keep the butter and lard cold before they go into the mixing bowl, as cold fat creates a crumb-like texture that makes the Welsh Cakes tender rather than tough when they hit the hot pan.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to roughly the thickness of your little finger before cutting. Thinner cakes bake crisper; thicker ones stay softer and more scone-like inside.
- Serve the Welsh Cakes warm from the pan with a generous dusting of caster sugar, or store them in an airtight tin and briefly reheat them in a dry pan to revive the edges before serving.
- Chilling the cut dough rounds briefly in the fridge before baking helps them keep their shape on the hot pan, giving you neat Welsh Cakes with evenly golden edges and a soft currant-studded middle.
- For a kid-friendly baking session, let children cut out the rounds with small pastry cutters while you handle the pan, turning this traditional currant treat into a fun family activity.
Recipe variations
- Make a lactose-free version by replacing the butter and lard with a firm plant-based baking block; the crumb stays tender, the currants and warm spices keep their character, and the cakes turn golden just as beautifully.
- For a festive variation, swap the currants for a mix of chopped dried cranberries and a pinch of extra nutmeg or a little grated orange zest, giving the Welsh Cakes a seasonal flavour that pairs wonderfully with a hot drink on winter afternoons.
Why this recipe works
Achieving the perfect Welsh Cake is an art form, often requiring a delicate touch to get that ideal balance of fluffy texture and golden crust. For those who demand flawless results, the Thermomix TM7 is your ultimate kitchen companion. It ensures your butter is rubbed in uniformly without melting, creating a consistently light dough that bakes beautifully. No more guessing or uneven batches; simply let the TM7 handle the precision work. Treat your family to a superior teatime classic that looks and tastes professionally made every single time.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Weigh the plain flour and caster sugar directly in the mixing bowl thanks to the TM7 built-in scale, saving separate measuring cups and washing up.
- Grinding whole nutmeg and cinnamon in the Thermomix releases far more aroma than pre-ground spices, giving the Welsh Cakes a noticeably warmer flavour.
- Mixing the cold butter and lard into the flour happens evenly in seconds, creating fine crumbs without overworking the dough for a tender crumb.
- Whipping the egg briefly in the TM7 before adding it helps distribute it uniformly through the spiced dough, so every cake binds properly.
- Kneading the currant-studded dough gently in the Thermomix bowl brings it together in moments, avoiding sticky hands and a floury worktop.
Ingredients
- plain flour
- baking powder
- unsalted butter
- lard
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground allspice
- caster sugar
- currants
- medium egg