Eccles Cakes Recipe

Start the pastry by dicing the 250g butter and chilling it in the freezer until it's very firm. In a food processor, combine the 350g plain flour with half of the chilled butter, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon and 100ml iced water, then pulse until a dough forms. Finally, add the remaining butter and pulse just a few times, so the dough is still visibly flecked with butter — these flecks are what give the pastry its flaky texture, so be careful not to overmix.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a neat rectangle, roughly 20 x 30cm. Fold both ends of the pastry into the middle, then fold it in half again. Roll the pastry out and repeat this folding process 3 more times, letting the dough rest for at least 15 minutes between each roll and fold. Once all folds are done, chill the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you're ready to use it.

For the filling, melt the 25g butter in a large saucepan. Remove it from the heat, then stir in the 200g currants, 50g mixed peel, 100g muscovado sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp allspice, and the zest of 1 lemon until everything is thoroughly combined. Set this aside.

Roll out the chilled pastry until it's slightly thicker than a £1 coin. Cut out 8 rounds, each about 12cm across; re-roll any trimmings if you need more rounds. Place a generous heaped tablespoon of the fruit filling in the center of each pastry round. Brush the edges with water, then gather the pastry around the filling, pinching it securely to seal. Flip the cakes over so the smooth side is facing up, then gently pat them into a neat round. Using a rolling pin, flatten each round into an oval until the fruit just begins to show through the pastry. Transfer them to a baking tray. Cut 2 small slits into the top of each Eccles cake, brush them generously with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with the sugar.

Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan/gas mark 8). Bake the Eccles cakes for 15-20 minutes, until they're past golden brown and look sticky. Let them cool on a wire rack. They're good warm or cold, perhaps with a cup of tea, or even with a wedge of hard, tangy British cheese like Lancashire or cheddar.