Eccles Cakes (Mum’s)
Ingredients
- ½ beaten egg (about 3 tbsp.)
- 225 gr. (½ lb.) plain flour
- 75 gr. (3 oz.) Trex
- (white hard vegetable fat)
- 75 gr. (3 oz.) butter
- 1 pinch salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Water (to make up to 110 ml. (4 fl. oz.)
- together with beaten egg and lemon)
- 225 gr. (½ lb.) currants
- 2 tbsp. caster sugar
- 40 gr. (1½ oz.) butter
- ½ tsp. grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- Milk
- Caster sugar
- Preheat oven to 180ºC
- Grease and flour a baking sheet
- These were originally made with 1tsp. nutmeg, but I think the cinnamon is a nice addition and also a little grated lemon peel. They were always known as Mrs. Atkinson’s Eccles Cakes!
Method
Make the pastry the night before.
Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the fat. Whisk the egg and lemon juice together in a jug and make up to 110 ml (4 fl. oz.) with water. Stir as much as you need into the flour to make a soft pastry. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.
Stir the grated nutmeg and cinnamon into the currants. Melt the sugar and butter together. Mix in the currants. Keep warm.
Roll out the pastry quite thinly and cut into approx. 12-13 cm. (4¾ -5”) rounds. Place about a tbsp. of the currant mixture in the centre and gather the edges to the middle to form a round shape. Seal and turn over.
Mould into a round with your hands. Flour the rolling pin and gently roll out further until the currants speckle the pastry, keep them round.
Prick with a fork all over, then brush with milk and sprinkle over some caster sugar. Place sealed side down on a greased and floured baking sheet.
Bake in a hot oven, 180°C for about 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Don’t over brown.