Eccles Cakes with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

These sweet and flaky Eccles cakes are filled with the most delicious combination of currants, sugar and sweet spice. Serve them as they are, or the traditional way – with a chunk of Lancashire cheese alongside. Either way, this Eccles cake recipe is a classic British tea-time bake not to miss out on.

I made countless batches of Eccles cakes as a child, purely because I knew my Dad had a soft spot for them. But I recently came across the recipe I used back then, and I was surprised to discover that it used puff pastry, not flaky pastry, as per traditional recipes.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I made several batches to test which of the two pastries worked best. And I can now, wholeheartedly, confirm that flaky pastry is the better option.

What are Eccles cakes?

Eccles cakes are small round pastries filled to bursting-point with a mixture of currants and sugar. These hand pies are usually made from flaky pastry and originate from the town of Eccles in Lancashire, England. They have been on the English food scene for over 200 years but are generally only spotted in tea shops in the North of England.

Eccles cakes should not be confused with Chorley cakes. Although they are similar, there are a couple of differences. Chorley cakes are made from shortcrust pastry and are less sweet. They are delicious served warm with a knob of butter on top.

What Makes these Pastries so Good

Moving attention back to the bake in hand today, two elements set this Eccles cake recipe up for success:

• authentic flaky pastry
• a simple filling

Flaky pastry is essential to this classic bake, helping to provide that crisp yet, for want of a better word, flaky shell that holds the filling together.

And the filling, at the heart of these humble Eccles cakes, is delightfully rustic and all the better for it. There’s no need to get carried away with more outlandish ingredients. So long as each parcel is stuffed to bursting point with fruit, sugar and spice, you’ll be in for a juicy, fruity, crispy and buttery treat.

Ingredients

What constitutes the filling in traditional Eccles cakes is open to much debate. Some bakers assert that candied peel is essential. Others argue against. Some recipes feature spices and some do not. And on the list of opportunities for mixed opinions goes…

There is one ingredient that is non-negotiable though: currants.

Granted they are not everybody’s first choice of dried fruit but in Eccles cakes they shine. Do not be tempted to swap them for raisins or sultanas, you’ll be missing the point of Eccles cakes completely. And missing a treat.

I’ve recently discovered Vostizza currants (also available from M&S) which are soft and full flavoured. I highly recommend them for this Eccles cakes recipe.

I’ve teamed the currants with demerara sugar, melted butter and a waft of sweet spice. Is this filling entirely traditional? That’s open to debate, but it’s definitely a winning formula all the same.

Step by Step Instructions

If you are new to making flaky pastry, fear not, I give full instructions before getting into the details of the recipe for these spiced Eccles cakes.

Stage 1: Make the Flaky Pastry

1. Divide the butter into 4 portions

2. Put the flour and salt into a bowl and stir briefly then add 1 portion of the butter (cubed) and rub in

3. 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)

4. Roll the dough into a long rectangle on a lightly floured worktop to approx 4mm thick. Take another portion of the butter, cube it and scatter over ⅔ of the dough, leaving the final ⅓ empty

5. Fold the empty third of the dough over the top of the dough, bringing it to the centre

6. Fold the other end of the pastry over the top, then rotate the pastry 90 degrees

7. Repeat steps 4-6 twice more to incorporate the remaining 2 portions of butter

8. When all of the butter has been used, rotate the pastry and roll out once more, then fold it and wrap before chilling for 1 hour in the fridge

Stage 2: Make the Eccles Cakes

1. Reserve 2 teaspoon of the sugar for sprinkling then put the currants, spices and the remaining sugar into a small mixing bowl and stir briefly. Melt the butter, add to the bowl and mix again until the fruit is evenly coated

2. Roll the pastry out into a rectangle approx 18cm x 36 cm

3. Trim off any straggly edges then divide into 8 squares. (First cut down the middle lengthwise then cut both strips in half widthwise. You now have 4 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half widthwise to form a total of 8 approximate squares)

4. Divide all of the filling between the squares of pastry dough, using a spoon to pile it into the centre of each one (A). Dip a finger in some cold water 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 (B). Gather the other corners up to the centre too, pushing the filling back into the centre as you do so, then gently press the pastry seams together (C). Finally, draw the edges into the centre to form a circle (D). There should be no large gaps for the filling to leak out of

5. Turn the pastry over, so the seams are underneath and use lightly floured hands to form a circular shape. Press down very gently to form a disc (do not press so much that the fruit breaks through the pastry)

6. Repeat steps 4-5 with the remaining squares of dough, then brush the top of each cake with a little beaten egg and sprinkle the reserved sugar over the top. Use a sharp knife to cut three slashes across the top of each cake

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden, then cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before devouring

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
• If making flaky pastry on a hot day, refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes each time anther portion of butter is folded into it. And chill the assembled cakes for 20 minutes prior to baking. This is the best way to ensure the dough and butter stays cold enough to create a quality pastry
• Ensure you roll your pastry to the right dimensions – 18 cm x 36cm – so that 8 squares can be cut from it
• Each square will be approx 9×9 cm which is sufficient to hold the filling. When sealing each square, the filling will be a tight fit – this is exactly as it should be to ensure each Eccles cake is chock full of fruit once baked
• Divide the filling evenly across all squares before beginning to seal any of them ensuring that all of the filling is used
• Seal one square at a time to avoid the water drying out/ turning the pastry soggy
• When sealing the pastry, some of the filling will fall out – push it back in and continue to seal, leaving no gaps
• Once sealed and shaped, do not press down too firmly to flatten – the currants should not poke through the dough
• never reheat your Eccles cakes in the microwave. For one thing, it will ruin that beautiful flaky pastry, rendering it soggy. But apparently, the sugar coating on the outside of these little delights can catch fire when reheated in the microwave. Go for 5 minutes in the oven at 150C/ 300F/ GM 2 instead and live to tell the tale

Frequently Asked Questions

Filling Variations

Take a look in cookbooks and at recipes online and it’s plain to see that there are plenty of opinions on what a good Eccles cake should include. If you feel like switching things up in this Eccles cake recipe, try the following ideas:

• Replace 15g (½ oz) of the currants with finely diced candied peel
• Or add the zest of an orange or lemon to the fruit mix
• Leave out the spices
• Add in ¼ teaspoon allspice and/ or ½ teaspoon ginger alongside the cinnamon and nutmeg
• Swap the demerara sugar in the filling for light brown sugar. This creates a less crunchy filling
• For a Christmassy twist replace 50g (1 ½ oz) of the currants with mincemeat – use your fingers to rub the mincemeat into the sugar

More Recipes using Dried Fruit

• Italian Ricotta Cheesecake with Amaretto Soaked Raisins
• Vegan Mincemeat – A Homemade Mincemeat with Cherries
• Currant Buns (Belvoir Castle Buns)
• Rum & Raisin Caramel Sauce
• Marzipan Cake – A great fruit cake not just for Christmas