Do you miss Welsh cakes? If so then these gluten free Welsh cakes will fill the gap! I have made them with less sugar than a traditional recipe and used my wholegrain gluten free flour blend for a healthier version.
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What is a Welsh cake?
They are in my opinion, a cross between a scone and a pancake. Lightly spiced, often with dried fruit and baked on a griddle or bake stone (hence their other name).
Traditional in Wales since the late 19th century they can be eaten hot or cold.
Why are Welsh cakes called Welsh cakes?
Well, they originate from Wales and are called picau ar y maen, pice bach, cacennau cri or teisennau gradell in the Welsh language.
They are made from simple cupboard staples and would traditionally have been cooked over a hot bake stone on an open fire.
They can also be called Griddle Cakes, Welsh Tea Cakes and Welsh Miner Cakes. The latter because they were a treat for coal miners who would carry them in their pockets.
Are Welsh cakes sweet?
Yes, Welsh cakes contain sugar but I decided to reduce the amount of sugar I added in my gluten free Welsh cake recipe.
Why? Because we all need to consider reducing the amount of sugar we eat.
It is widely understood that sugar can lead to many health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
So I always do my best to reduce the amount of sugar in recipes or use fruit to replace it all together.
How long do Welsh cakes last?
In this house? About 30 minutes!
But the serious answer is that they are best eaten on the day of making them.
As with all gluten free baking, the results are always best the day they are made. After that they start to get dry.
However, once cooked and cooled these gluten free Welsh cakes can be frozen and re-heated either in the microwave or in a frying pan.
What gluten free flour do you recommend?
After many years of gluten free baking, some successfully and some not so, I decided to create my own gluten free flour blend.
Bringing up a child with coeliac disease, it was really important to me that her health not be impacted further by her limited diet.
What I noticed with much of the gluten free food on the market was that it was all based on white, refined flours and rice.
There are no nutrients of value to the body in white refined products and I also discovered that rice naturally contains inorganic arsenic.
I therefore wanted a flour blend that contained wholegrain’s, minimal refined white flours and no rice.
After two years of experimenting I created a blend that fitted the bill. After some persuasion I decided to start selling it here for others that care about the health of their family or themselves. You can find out more about it and how to buy it here.
Gluten free Welsh cake tips
These little tips might help you create the Welsh cakes you are looking for:
- Make sure your frying pan or griddle is really hot before you start. Much like making American pancakes you won’t get a good rise unless the pan is hot
- If you want to make these gluten free Welsh cakes dairy free too you could substitute the butter for lard (traditionally they are made with a mix of lard and butter). I’m pretty sure a hard margarine/spread like Stork, or coconut oil would work too.
- Be gentle when you turn the little cakes over. If you’re not gentle you may accidentally break them.
- The dough should be slightly sticky. The size of egg you have will depend on how much milk (dairy or non-dairy) you will need to add.
- Make sure you flour the surface well before attempting to roll these out. You’ll also want to add flour to the dough/rolling pin to make sure nothing sticks!
- Using a food processor will make it super simple to make these. I highly recommend investing in a good one. I have this Kitchen Aid one. It is used to make so many of my recipes like pastry, crumble and cheesecake bases not to mention for making breadcrumbs with dry crusts. For grating anything – vegetables, cheese. You name it one of these machines will change your life!
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What do you serve gluten free Welsh cakes with?
I serve them just as they are.
However, you can split them in half and fill them with jam, or you could spread them with butter and jam.
If you have any other bright ideas then I’d love to hear them.
And please remember to rate and comment on the recipe so it gets found by more people! Thanks :).
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The gluten free Welsh cake recipe
Gluten Free Welsh Cakes (Bakestones)
Ingredients
- 225 g Free From Fairy gluten free plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp Psyllium husk powder
- 45 g Brown sugar - or coconut sugar for a refined sugar free version
- 100 g Butter - or dairy free alternatives as above, chopped
- 1 medium Egg
- A splash Milk - or dairy free alternative
- 50 g Raisins - or currants
Instructions
- Place all the dry ingredients into the bowl of your food processor (or large bowl if you don't have a food processor) and blitz to combine well
- Add the butter and blitz again until a breadcrumb like texture. If you don't have a food processor then rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips
- Add the egg and blend to combine, then add milk to bring together into a slightly sticky dough
- Remove the dough from the food processor onto a clean, well floured work surface and work the raisins or currants into the dough
- Place your frying pan onto a high heat while you roll and cut out the dough
- Roll the dough out until around 5mm in thickness, then using a 7cm round cutter, cut circles out and place to one side
- In batches cook the Welsh cakes on a medium-high heat for around 3 minutes on each side until golden. If your pan isn't non stick you'll need to add a little butter to grease it before cooking
- Allow to cool on a wire rack a little before eating