Eccles Cakes

Ingredients

• 250 gbutter, for rough-puff pastry; diced and frozen until very hard
• 350 gall-purpose flour, for rough-puff pastry
• 1/2lemon, juice only; for rough-puff pastry
• 100 mliced water, for pastry
• 25 gbutter, for filling; melted
• 200 gcurrants, for filling
• 50 gmixed peel, for filling
• 100 gmuscovado sugar, for filling
• 1 tspcinnamon, for filling
• 1 tspginger, ground; for filling
• 1 tspallspice, for filling
• 1lemon, zest only; for filling
• 1egg white, for brushing cakes before baking
• sugar, for sprinkling over tops

Method

1. 1

   Dice the 250g butter and freeze until very hard. Tip the flour into a food processor with half the frozen butter and pulse to fine breadcrumbs. Add the lemon juice and 100ml iced water and pulse to a dough. Add the remaining frozen butter and pulse a few times until the dough is heavily flecked with butter — do not overdo this.

2. 2

   On a floured surface, roll the pastry to a 20 × 30cm rectangle. Fold both short ends into the middle, then fold in half again. Repeat the roll-and-fold 3 more times, resting the pastry for at least 15 minutes between each. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Make the filling: melt the 25g butter in a pan. Remove from heat and stir in the currants, mixed peel, muscovado sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and lemon zest.

4. 4

   Roll the chilled pastry slightly thicker than a £1 coin. Cut out 8 rounds about 12cm across. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each. Brush the pastry edges with water, gather up and squeeze to seal. Flip so smooth side faces up and pat into rounds.

5. 5

   Flatten each ball with a rolling pin to an oval until fruit just begins to show through. Place on a baking tray. Cut 2 slits in each cake, brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

6. 6

   Heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 8. Bake for 15–20 minutes until just past golden and sticky.