Eccles Cakes Recipe

How to make it

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• To make the pastry:
• In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and process until blended, about 5 seconds.
• Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and process until the butter is coated and slightly chopped, about 3 seconds.
• Sprinkle the water over the flour and butter and process until the dough comes together in small, moist crumbs, 20-30 seconds.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a rough rectangle.
• Roll out into a 6" x 18" rectangle, lightly flouring the dough and work surface as needed. The edges will be ragged.
• Fold the short ends toward each other so they meet in the middle.
• Fold the dough crosswise in half to make a 4 1/2" by 6" rectangle.
• Rotate the dough so the seam is on the right and repeat the rolling and folding technique.
• Divide the dough crosswise into 2 equal rectangles each.
• Wrap the rectangles in storage wrap and refrigerate until well chileed, about 2 hours or up to overnight.
• To make the filling:
• In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, mixed spice, and lemon and orange zest and, mix until well blended.
• Add the currants and candied peel and stir until well blended.
• Divide the mixture into 16 small mounds, arrange on a plate, and flatten slightly.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 min. or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• To assemble the cakes:
• Place half of the pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to 3/16"/5mm thick.
• Using a 4" round cutter, cut out as many rounds from the dough as possible.
• If needed, gather together the dough scraps, press together, re-roll, and cut out more rounds until you have a total of 8 rounds.
• Cover the rounds with plastic wrap and repeat with the remaining dough.
• Working with 1 round at a time, arrange one mound of the filling in the center of the round and brush a little water around the edges of the pastry.
• Pleat the edges of the dough together, covering the filling, and squeeze the edges together gently to seal.
• Place the pastry, seam side down, and roll them again with the rolling pin. Try keep the filling below the surface and not breaking through the dough.
• I rolled mine so they were almost 6" in diameter.
• Place your finished round on the cookie sheet
• Brush with a little of the egg white, sprinkle with the Demerara sugar and cut three slits in the top.
• Repeat with the remaining dough rounds and filling, arranging the cakes about 1 1/2" apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake the cakes until they are gold brown, 20-22 minutes.
• Let cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
• *Full Disclosure notes: The next time I make these I'm going to slightly increase the amount of filling. The Eccles Cakes I buy at the Market are quite large so I used a 5" round cutter but also rolled them out thinner with a rolling pin. I ended up only getting 11 Eccles Cakes, not the 16 the recipe said using the 4" cutter. I also didn't mound my filling. I broke it up in to bits and just sprinkled it in the middle of my rounds.