This post was last updated on March 23rd, 2025 at 08:55 pm
Welsh cakes history is as rich as the treats themselves. Compared to other delectable dishes from Cymru, Welsh cakes are a relatively modern addition to this colorful country’s menu. These tasty yet simple-to-make cakes are a little like a pancake, scone, and biscuit (the cookie variety) rolled into one.
When does Welsh cakes history begin? Once upon a time, Cymru (Wales) was the largest producer of coal on Earth. Welsh coal production reached its peak in 1913. However, this boom in the mining industry was rooted in even earlier times. By 1851, the census shows that Wales was the first country to employ more people in industrial fields than in farming.
The Welsh industrial field in the 19th and early 20th centuries wasn’t limited to coal. They were also one of the biggest iron, copper, and tinplate producers. Wales supplied metal to countries all over the world. In the 1910s and 20s, row upon row of freight trains loaded with coal or metals snaked through hills and valleys, headed for the coast. There, people transferred their precious cargo to ships bound for exotic lands.
So, what does all of this have to do with Welsh cakes? Miners needed something portable, non-perishable, and filling to take down the mines. The creation of Welsh cakes totally solved this. They were simple to make with a few essentials the lady of the house had on hand. The cakes were small, and they wouldn’t spoil. And they kept folks fed during an era when workdays were particularly long and strenuous.
This post is about Welsh cakes history, plus a recipe.
Welsh Cakes History
What Are Welsh Cakes?
First things first: What are Welsh cakes? Welsh cakes are small, round cakes with the combined consistency of a biscuit (cookie), pancake, and scone. They are about 4 – 7 cm in diameter and are cut into rounds with a biscuit/cookie cutter. The essential Welsh cakes ingredients are flour, lard or butter, egg, dried fruit, spices, and salt. Modern recipes usually also incorporate milk and sugar, including a dusting of castor sugar after the cakes are cooked.
Fact 1
Our first of three facts about Welsh cakes may surprise you. Unlike most cakes we think of (besides pancakes, of course!), Welsh cakes are not baked in an oven. You cook them on a griddle (frying pan) or a bakestone. A bakestone is a particular type of griddle mainly associated with Wales and for making Welsh cakes. Bakestones did used to be made of stone before the 19th century. People generally made these special flat pans from slate or fine sandstone. Nowadays, if someone wants to make Welsh cakes this way, they’ll commonly use a steel bakestone. A cast iron frying pan is also an excellent tool for making Welsh cakes.
The Birth of Picau ar y Maen (“Cakes on the Stone”)
While we may never know who invented the first Welsh cake, there is a legend about it. In 1865, a group of men and women from Wales sailed to Argentina. They wanted to escape English customs and traditions that they felt were taking over their own. In Argentina, they could live their own Welsh way of life and speak Cymraeg. They established the Welsh colony in Patagonia called “Y Wladfa,” which means “The Colony.” While they were establishing their new homes, they needed sustenance. Much as with the miners, the go-to food had to be something they could make with what they had readily available. So, they made Welsh cakes.
Fact 2
These original cakes might not have been as sweet as the cakes we know today, especially with all the toppings we now have available. For example, the colonists in Argentina most likely didn’t have any chocolate chips to hand. However, they probably added currants or other dried fruit to the basic ingredients of flour, egg, lard (or butter if they had it), spices like nutmeg or cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. The same goes for the Welsh cakes the miners ate. Yes, they did add sugar, but the cakes were more utilitarian and not so much like a dessert back in the day.
Fact 3
Now we’ve come to our final fact in traditional Welsh cakes history. Welsh cakes get the essence of their recipe from flatbread. Since flatbread is made without yeast, it’s much faster and easier to prepare than leavened bread—“leavened” means bread made with a raising and fermentation agent, such as yeast. The traditional ingredients in flatbread are flour, water, and salt. Although flatbread has roots in Egypt, many other countries have had their own versions. With these three simple ingredients, the Welsh people of the 1800s added a few more things and their own cultural twist to make Welsh cakes. Perhaps the most interesting fact is that while the cakes get their essence from flatbread, these griddle-cooked sweet treats are almost nothing like flatbread in their final form.
Featured Book: Welsh Food Stories by Carwyn Graves
From the blurb: Welsh Food Stories explores more than two thousand years of history to discover the rich but forgotten heritage of Welsh foods – from oysters to cider, salted butter to salt-marsh lamb. Despite centuries of industry, ancient traditions have survived in pockets across the country among farmers, bakers, fisherfolk, brewers and growers who are taking Welsh food back to its roots, and trailblazing truly sustainable foods as they do so.
Traditional Welsh Cakes Recipe
Equipment
- 5 cm biscuit/cookie cutter
- Cast iron skillet or any frying pan
- Spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk or fork
Ingredients
- 340 g/12 oz plain flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 150 g/5.3 oz butter
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp mace
- 75 g/2.6 oz castor sugar plus extra for dusting
- 75 g/2.6 oz dried fruit of your choice Traditional choices include currants, raisins, and sultanas
- 1 tbsp milk can omit if you need a dairy-free recipe
- 1 stick lard for greasing the pan. If you don’t have lard, you can use butter, although lard is ideal.
Instructions
- Portion out the flour, castor sugar, salt, and spices.340 g/12 oz plain flour, 1 pinch salt, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp mace, 75 g/2.6 oz castor sugar
- Place the measured dry ingredients into your mixing bowl. Stir well.
- Cut the stick of butter into 1-inch or 2-cm cubes. Add to dry ingredients. Blend and mash ingredients with your hands until you make a fine, crumbly mixture.150 g/5.3 oz butter
- Add dried fruit. Mix well until evenly distributed. (Note: for an alternative recipe with chocolate chips, see notes below for tips on this step.)75 g/2.6 oz dried fruit of your choice
- Crack the 3 eggs into a bowl. Beat them with a whisk or fork until they’re well whisked. Add the eggs and milk (you can omit milk if you desire dairy-free) to the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly until the dough becomes firm.3 eggs, 1 tbsp milk
- Lightly flour a cutting board or piece of wax paper on the kitchen countertop. Place the dough on the floured surface. (You can use 2 or more overlapping pieces of wax paper if you need more room.)
- Roll the dough to an even width with a rolling pin until it’s about 5 mm thick (1/5th of an inch). Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut 24 round cakes.
- Grease the frying pan with lard by taking a cold piece and rubbing it on the pan’s surface until lightly covered. Turn the gas flame or electric stovetop to medium heat to preheat the pan.1 stick lard
- Once the pan is hot, add enough cakes to fill the pan without being crowded. Fry them for 3 – 4 minutes per side until they rise slightly and turn golden brown.
- Remove cakes from pan, put them on a plate, and dust each side to taste with castor sugar. Enjoy with tea, breakfast, as a snack, or however you prefer!
Notes
How to eat Welsh cakes:
- With tea, such as Welsh Brew (Paned Gymreig)
- With cheese and butter
- With berries with honey
- With raspberries and white chocolate
- With orange curd
- You can have Welsh cakes for dessert after a nice bowl of cawl.
If you’re not ready to try your hand at making these cakes from Wales yourself, you can buy them from the Welsh Baker.
I hope that learning about Welsh cakes history has inspired you to try this recipe and share it with others. Maybe it will become a family favorite, or maybe you’ll decide to keep it as your secret recipe that always gets the most compliments at the potluck. Enjoy!
This post was about Welsh cakes history, plus a recipe.
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