Eccles cakes

The original recipe for this is currants but my hubby prefers sultanas so that’s what I use! When the cakes are golden brown on the tops just flip them over and put them back in the oven for 5 minutes to ensure you don’t get soggy bottoms! They should be crisp but moist and absolutely blooming delicious ……which these are mmmmm

Ingredients:

• 500g ready made puff pastry
• 150g currants, mixed fruit or sultanas (I used sultanas)
• 20g melted butter
• 50g caster sugar
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg

Method:

Wash the fruit, drain them and then dry them well on kitchen towel or a clean tea towel.

Place them in a bowl, add the melted butter and stir to ensure they are all covered, then add the lemon zest, sugar & nutmeg.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board about 5mm thick and cut out 12 rounds with a 10cm pastry cutter. Share out the filling equally between the 12 circles into the centres.

Brush with a dash of water (avoid wetting too much) all around the edge then gather the pastry up and crimp together a bit like a little pasty. Then gently squash to flatten slightly and turn over so the the join is underneath. Place on a baking tray lined with greeseproof paper.

Make all 12 the same way then place in the fridge for ½ hour.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C/FAN 180°/GAS 6

Brush each Eccles cake with a little milk then slash 3 little cuts into each cake and sprinkle with caster sugar before placing into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little more sugar and allow to cool on a wire rack……then enjoy!