Eccles Cakes - the Classic British Tea Cake!

There are a lot of eccles cake recipes out there. This one is a modification of the recipe in Delia Smith’s “Delia Smith’s Cookery Course” – an age old cook book by “the English Martha Stewart”. Well, they are a spiced current mix which is surrounded in puff pastry, brushed with egg and topped with a little sugar. These get baked, and fluff up. They are a lovely light bite, with a little kick of cinnamon and nutmeg, balanced out by some orange zest. They pair absolutely perfectly with a nice cup of tea. Preferably a light Darjeeling. My personal preference is for a 2nd flush – picked later in the year, the tea has a more robust flavor. NOTE: Serving size is estimated!! I use a pre-made (not by me..) puff pastry here. My pastry skills aren’t great, and this does save quite a bit of time. Recipe found at http://mattikaarts.com/blog/baking-recipes/eccles-cakes-the-classic-british-tea-cake/ and posted for ZWT6 - GREAT BRITAIN!

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 10-12
• Yields: 10-12 cakes

Ingredients

• 1 (10 -12 ounce) package puff pastry sheets (I like the high quality all butter stuff the best)

• FILLING

• 3  ounces butter
• 5  ounces light brown sugar
• 5  ounces  mix of sultana's and currants
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1  grated orange, rind of

• TO FINISH

• 1  egg, lightly beaten
•  white sugar, for sprinkling (granulated)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. To make the filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Mix into this the other filling ingredients. Set aside.
3. Roll the pastry out to about 1/8 inch thick onto a floured surface. Use a 4” pastry cutter to cut discs of pastry.
4. Put a teaspoon of the filling into the middle of one disc.
5. Brush half of the edge of this disc with water. Bring up all the sides of the disc to the middle (above the filling), and press tightly to seal.
6. Turn the cake over on the work surface, and gently roll it to about 1/4” to 1/2” thick. Pat into a rough round shape.
7. Repeat for the remaining pastry discs.
8. Place disks on a non-stick baking sheet (a greased sheet, or one with parchment paper). Using a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal cuts through the top of each cake. Brush the top of each cake with the egg, and sprinkle a little white sugar over.
9. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cake has risen. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
10. Serve with your afternoon tea!