Best Easy Eccles Cakes Recipes

ECCLES CAKES

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.

ECCLES CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Mix together the filling ingredients and set aside.
• Put butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until pale. Beat in the eggs, then fold in the flours, buttermilk and apples. Spoon half the mixture into the tin. Scatter over filling, leaving a 2.5cm clear border all around the edge. Spoon remaining mixture on top, starting by dolloping round the edges, then moving into the middle. Bake for 1 hr 25 mins or until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a runny-ish icing. Remove cake from the tin, drizzle over the icing, then scatter with crushed sugar cubes and lemon zest.

THE GREAT BRITISH ECCLES CAKE

Steps:

• Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
• Dice 1/2 of the chilled butter; rub it into the flour using your hands.
• Add just enough cold water (4-5 tablespoons) to bring it together into a soft dough.
• Cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an oblong approx 20cm x 10cm.
• Cut the remaining chilled butter into thin slices; cover the middle third of the dough with 1/3 of the slices; fold the unbuttered thirds of dough over the buttered third; first one, then the other, making a square.
• Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
• Repeat two more times, turning the block of dough 90 degrees each time and chilling between each rolling.
• Repeat two more times without the butter; chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 240°C /465°F/ gas mark 8.
• Line a sheet with parchment paper.
• Cream together 1 oz soft butter and caster sugar; add currants, candied peel and nutmeg.
• Roll out the pastry until 1/4" thick.
• Cut out 12 x 7cm discs.
• Spoon the filling into the centre of each disc.
• Brush the edges with water, then pull the edges into the centre and pinch them together to seal.
• Turn cakes over; place on the baking tray.
• Push cakes down lightly to slightly flatten them.
• With a sharp knife make three short incisions in the top of each cake.
• Brush tops with a little milk; sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges turn golden brown.

ENGLISH ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured board.
• Cut dough into 24, 3-inch rounds.
• In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
• Mix in currants and spices.
• Place 2 tsp of mixture on each circle.
• Brush edges of each circle with milk to "glue" the top to the bottom.
• Place another round of dough on top pressing the edges firmly all around.
• Brush tops of each cake with milk and sprinkle on a bit of sugar.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake until brown and crispy (12- 15 minutes).
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
• Makes 12 Eccles cakes.
• Enjoy!

YOU'LL NEVER GO BACK TO STORE BOUGHT' ENGLISH ECCLES CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/425°F.
• Cut the pastry into rounds approx 4 inches in diameter.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, add the currants, lemon zest and spices.
• Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the centre of each pastry round.
• Gather the edges of each round to form a sealed ball, and with the smooth side uppermost, flatten onto a greased baking sheet.
• Cut 2 slits in the top of each cake with a sharp knife, brush with water (not milk or egg) and dust with caster sugar.
• Bake until golden brown for approx 20 minutes.
• Allow to cool for around 20 minutes before serving whilst still warm-ish or wait until completely cooled.
• To die for!