Yes - cinnamon and nutmeg would both fit in well here. Try 3/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. For a less than traditional Chorley cake try adding in some finely diced stem ginger.

Chorley Cakes - Little Sugar Snaps

Name: Chorley Cakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 200 g Plain flour (all-purpose); ¾ tsp Baking powder; ¼ tsp Salt; 100 g Butter; 3 tablespoons Cold water; 200 g Currants; 50 g Light brown sugar; ⅛ tsp Nutmeg; 50 g Butter; A little beaten egg - for glazing

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Chorley cakes are a much-loved traditional bake from the North-west of England featuring currants wrapped up in shortcrust pastry. They are quick to make and amazing served warm with a little butter.

Close up of Chorley cakes, one split open and one with butter on top

Chorley cakes are a simple and frugal bake originating from the North-west of England in the Lancashire town of (you guessed it) Chorley. They are essentially individual hand pies filled with plump and juicy currants plus a little sugar.

These cakes are a great treat for a mid-morning or afternoon snack, and could even tag along on a picnic or afternoon tea.

Although there are similarities, Chorley cakes should not be mistaken for Eccles cakes.

What’s the difference between Chorley Cakes and Eccles Cakes?

Although Chorley cakes are a close relation of the Eccles cake there are a couple of important differences:

Chorley cakes use a form of shortcrust pastry to encase the fruit filling whilst Eccles cakes use flaky pastry
There is significantly less sugar inside of the Chorley cake. It’s still plenty sweet enough, but the difference between the two bakes is noticeable

And incidentally, a Sad cake is a large Chorley cake.

All are absolutely delicious (hard to stop eating) bakes in their own right, simply served with a cup of tea. But a slick of butter or a hunk of Lancashire cheese can accompany them all to great effect.

Chorley Cakes on a wire rack - one has butter on top and one is cut open

I have to tell you that the dab of butter is insanely good with these Chorley cakes – and I rarely use expressions such as insanely good. It’s not my style, but trust me, this particular combination is pretty special and does warrant breaking out that phrase.

Why Make this Recipe?

Chorley cakes are quick and easy to prepare. They use standard baking ingredients and the result is deeply satisfying.

They are rather like free-form individual pies filled with dried fruit. In fact, there’s no special equipment needed – each pie is shaped by hand from squares of pastry.

If you are in the market for a rustic bake that delivers bags of flavour, this is a great recipe to make.

Ingredients

Rather unusually, the shortcrust pastry contains baking powder, which serves to lift and aerate it very slightly. The result is a tender, slightly flaky pastry. It’s well worth including this ingredient.

Using currants rather than raisins or sultanas is of paramount importance in this recipe. Chorley cakes are, by nature, a humble bake and it’s the intense, tangy bite of the currant that makes this bake magnificent.

Choose quality fruit, such as Vostizza currants and don’t be tempted to use any fruit that has been lingering, opened, at the back of the cupboard. The fruit will not be at its best. Instead, use only freshly opened, plump and juicy currants for this recipe. It makes all the difference.

Step by Step Instruction

1. Put the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and stir briefly. Cube the butter, add to the bowl and rub in

2. Pour in ¾ of the water and mix, with a blunt knife, to a soft dough, adding more water as necessary (do not add so much that the dough turns sticky)

3. Bring the dough together with your hands then turn out onto a lightly floured worktop and knead briefly until smooth. Flatten slightly, wrap and chill for 30 minutes to allow the glutens in the pastry to relax

Collage of images showing shortcrust pastry being made by hand

4. When ready to assemble make the filling: put the currants, sugar and nutmeg into a bowl, melt the butter and stir until combined

5. Roll the pastry out into a rectangle approx 18cm x 36 cm. Trim off any straggly edges then divide into 8 squares measuring 9cm x9cm. If the dough does not roll out to these dimensions, ensure that is around 3mm deep, cut as many squares as possible, then press the leftover dough back together and re-roll to cut further squares

6. Divide all of the filling between the eight squares of pastry dough, using a spoon to pile it into the centre of each one

7. Dip a pastry brush in some beaten egg and run it around the edges of 1 square of pastry to dampen. Gather two opposite corners of pastry up towards the centre and press together lightly. Gather the other corners up to the centre too, pushing the filling back into the centre as you do so. When all corners are gathered gently press the pastry seams together and draw the edges into the centre to form a circle

Collage of images showing Chorley Cakes being assembled

8. When all edges are sealed, turn the pastry over, so the seams are underneath and use lightly floured hands to form a circular shape. Use a rolling pin to slightly flatten each pastry (roll lightly once, then rotate the pastry and roll again. Repeat as necessary until the fruit becomes visible (each Chorley cake should be around 6-7cm at this stage)

9. Repeat steps 7-8 with the remaining squares of dough

10. Brush each top with a little beaten egg and use a sharp knife to cut three slashes across the top of each cake

11. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden

Tips and FAQs

Expert Tips

Never skip the chilling of the pastry dough. It is easier to handle when sufficiently chilled and will bake to a superior texture
Store-bought shortcrust pastry can be used in place of homemade. Keep in mind that it is unlikely to contain baking powder so the texture will be slightly different
Each pastry square needs to be approximately 9×9 cm in order to hold the filling, so measuring the pastry before cutting is a good idea
Ideally, roll your pastry into a rectangle approx 18 cm x 36cm – so that the 8 squares can be cut from it. But if your pastry goes wonky, just roll to 3mm deep before cutting squares and then re-roll to allow more squares to be cut
It’s best to divide the filling across all squares before beginning to seal any of them. Doing so means that you can ensure each cake gets a good amount of filling and none is leftover
Seal one square at a time to avoid the egg drying out/ turning the pastry soggy
When sealing the pastry if some of the filling mixture falls out just push it back in and continue to seal, leaving no gaps
Once sealed and shaped, Chorley cakes do need to be rolled/ pressed (either with a rolling pin or the flat of a hand) until the dried fruit becomes visible. Make 2-3 light rolls/ presses across the entire of the cake, rotating slightly between each roll/ press to help keep a circular shape to the pastries
It’s best to reheat Chorley cakes in the oven (150C/300F/ GM2) for 5 minutes. Avoid reheating in a microwave as doing so will turn the pastry soggy

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I leave out the baking powder?

Yes you can. The pastry will be more typical shortcrust, perhaps not quite so tender and flaky, but it will suffice.

If using store-bought pastry (perfectly acceptable) then it’s unlikely such pastry will contain baking powder.

Can I add spices?

Yes – cinnamon and nutmeg would both fit in well here. Try ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.

For a less than traditional Chorley cake try adding in some finely diced stem ginger.

Can they be frozen?

Chorley cakes can be frozen either before or after they have been baked.

To freeze before baking, prepare fully, up to, and including, the point of adding the egg wash. Open freeze the pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment and when solid, slide into a freezer container or bag, label and keep frozen for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen: lay them onto a lined baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes at the temperature specified in the recipe card below.

If already cooked, let cool completely and freeze as soon as possible. Let defrost fully, then reheat for 5-10 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.