Easy Eccles Cake Recipe

Eccles Cakes got their name from the small town in England where they were invented sometime in the 18th Century. The town of Eccles has now been swallowed up by the City of Salford near Manchester and is now little more than a famous suburb of the larger city. Eccles Cakes are famous the world over and were exported to North America as early as 1818. They are very tasty and surprisingly easy to make. Here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

• 1 pack frozen flaky pastry - defrosted
• Raisins
• Candied peel
• Butter or margarine
• Sugar
• Grated nutmeg

Preparation

• Roll out the pastry to about 1/4 inch thickness
• Using a small tea plate (or similar) mark approximately 6 inch diameter circles in the pastry and cut carefully (if you have one, use a 6 inch cookie cutter)
• Melt a generous tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, then stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of raisins, 1 tablespoon of candied peel plus half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• Stir well then set aside to cool
• Place a tablespoon of the fruit filling into the centre of each circle of pastry them moisten the edges of the pastry with water
• Fold the pastry edges up over the fruit filling and seal around the filling
• Flip cakes upside down on a floured board and very gently flatten them and, restore their round shape using your hands
• Make three cuts across the top of each cake then spread some sugar on top and sprinkle lightly with water
• Place on a baking tray in a pre-heated oven at 400F for about 20 minutes or until the cakes turn a light brown colour

John's Notes
Eccles Cakes are delicious hot or cold. I ate one of mine straight from the oven but if you are planning to eat yours cold make sure you wrap them in cling film to keep them moist.