Where were you when Michael Jackson died? I was in a car in Wales eating Welsh cakes. Strange introduction aside because I did not have a Welsh Granny who made these every rainy fucking Sunday. Who the hell is that lucky, tell me. I must find them.

Anyway…these comforting delights are a great sweet example of different ways of cooking your dough. Traditionally cooked on a griddle or hot plate, you use direct heat to cook the dough rather than convection in a hot oven (hot air, basically).

RECIPE:

• 425g PLAIN FLOUR (Alright, I will allow you play with other flours here. 30-40% ‘swap in’ I would recommend before the texture BECOMES COMPROMISED)

• 1tsp BAKING POWDER

• 1tsp GROUND CINNAMON

• 1tsp NUTMEG (Grated FRESH for a better flavour)

• Pinch of salt

• 100g UNSALTED BUTTER (Cold and Cubed)

• 140g LARD (Cold and Cubed)

• 175g CASTER SUGAR

• 110g CURRANTS or RAISINS (or other dried fruits would work well, chopped to the similar size of a raisin if need be- I’m looking at you, dried apricot)

• 50g CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

• 2 WHOLE MEDIUM EGGS (Beaten)

• 30ml WHOLE MILK

(CASTER SUGAR FOR DREDGING AFTER BAKING)

BEFORE YOU START…

Preheat your oven 120c (this is just to keep you Welsh cakes warm if you want to serve them still warm! It’s optional, always optional)

METHOD:

Sand everything together until no lumps of butter or lard are found. (Hand versus machine, what team are we on? While mixing by hand is easier to prevent overworking some of us (myself included) have hot hands which can cause the fats to get too warm while mixing. Mix slow on a machine would be my preference but go with how you’re feeling!)

Mix together the sugar and dried fruits then mix through the flour and fat mixture. Whisk together the eggs and milk then add to the dry ingredients and mix until you’re a dough comes together . Rest at room temperature (covered to prevent drying out) for about 30 minutes before rolling out.

Roll the dough to about a 1 ½cm thickness and using a cutter (you can always use a different size if you wish) to shape your Welsh cakes. Set these aside and reroll your dough and repeat until all the dough is used up.

Preheat your pan on a medium heat and cook your Welsh cakes in batches until golden brown, sprinkling with caster sugar straight after baking (keeping them warm in a low oven until all your Welsh cakes are cooked)

TO SERVE: Enjoy as soon as possible with a dollop of clotted cream and a drizzle of honey. With your Nan.

NB If you didn’t want to cook the entire dough at once, you can leave it out for a few hours at room temperature to cook later or store in the fridge for up to two days (bearing in mind that the dough will need bringing up to room temperature before rolling and cooking). Or you could roll and shape the uncooked dough and then bring them up to room temperature - covered- before cooking. Look at all this faff, best to just cook them all in go right? Just get another pan and cook a load at once. #rockandroll