Low and slow is the key to these Welsh cakes Homemade Holidays
By: Eva Wasney Posted: 2:00 AM CST Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025

These Welsh Cakes are a family heirloom dating back to the 1800s, when cooking appliances were limited and recipes were necessarily simple.

“My grandmother came from a little village in the northern part of Scotland,” says Allison Bloomer. “Life was pretty rustic back then; they lived in a small house and she had 11 other siblings… there were coal oil lanterns and wood stoves.”

Though home cooking has changed greatly over the last century, this recipe, passed down through generations, has stood the test of time.

“These are very easy to make; they’re rolled out and cut and done on the stovetop just until they’re brown,” Bloomer says. “A low temperature is the key — don’t cook it too hot — and you don’t need any grease in your pan.”

The resulting pastry is similar to a miniature scone and best enjoyed with butter, jam and a spot of tea.

Welsh Cakes

500 ml (2 cups) flour

125 ml (1/2 cup) white sugar

10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) nutmeg

1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) cinnamon

125 ml (1/2 cup) cold butter

125 ml (1/2 cup) currants

1 egg

80 ml (1/3 cup) milk

Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon to a large bowl, stirring to combine. Cut in butter using a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Stir in currants. Beat egg and milk together and stir into the flour mixture.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured board and cut into 2-inch circles with a round cookie cutter.

Fry in an ungreased pan over low heat until browned on both sides.

— Allison Bloomer

Homemade Holidays is an annual Free Press tradition featuring 12 festive desserts published over 12 days in December. Click here to find all of this year’s reader-submitted recipes. You can also visit wfp.to/recipecards to purchase a digital download of the cookie recipe cards to print your own recipe booklet at home.

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Eva Wasney
Reporter

Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.

Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.