Teisen Lap

This is a deliciously moist light fruit cake which seldom lasted long out of the oven, mainly because as kids we'd stand in line waiting for it to come out of the AGA, and then polish it off with a glass of full cream milk. It is best eaten while still warm.  We also called it Drawer cake, but that's not the proper translation, and anyhow there seem to be so many different translations and recipes for it - Moist, Slab etc.  But the name doesn't really matter does it if it tastes fantastic.  We'll probably include some of the variants in the final cook book. This recipe unusually calls for some glacé cherries to be hurled into the mix.

Ingredients

12oz/375g Self Raising Flour
5oz/150g Margerine
6oz/180g Sugar
8oz/240g Mixed Dried Fruit
A handful of Glace Cherries
2 Eggs from Welsh hens
5floz/150ml Milk
Pinch of Ginger
Pinch of Nutmeg

Method

Rub the margarine into the flour.  Add the fruit, chopped glacé cherries and sugar.  Beat the eggs into the milk and add to the mixture.  Sprinkle in the nutmeg and ginger and mix well.  The mixture should drop off the spoon easily. Pour into a shallow tin, and bake in a low oven (250F or 130C).  You'll need to watch it to make sure it doesn't burn on the top.   Remove from the oven and consume instantly! (Although take care if it's very hot)

It's lovely with a glass of creamy milk, or perhaps some Barley Wine. One alternative is to steep the fruit in Barley Wine (and a teabag) to soak up the flavour.  But this is naughty.

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Welsh Cakes

Like Bara Brith, there are probably as many versions of Welsh Cakes as there are sheep on the mountain – and that’s a lot!  Of course we think this is the best. Certainly they don’t hang around once they’ve been made. Remember to make enough to share! Once you have mastered this recipe you’ll never eat a factory made Welsh Cake again. 

Ingredients:
1lb Self Raising Flour
8 oz Butter (unsalted)
5 oz Sugar
2 Eggs
3 Oz Currants
A little water if needed

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl for three to four minutes. Add the egg and currants and mix well.  Slowly add the flour until the mix feels like a soft paste. Cut the mix in half – flour a board – and roll very thinly.  Cut with a scone cutter.  Then do the same with the second half.  You should get about 25 thin slices from the mix.  Ideally, use a griddle, but you can bake the cakes in a non stick frying pan.  Cook for thirty seconds each side. That’s enough time, the mixture continues to cook after removed from the heat so it’s really easy to overcook them. Leave on a baking tray to cool down afterwards for about half an hour.

Only do two or three at a time. As you lay the third cake, the first will need to be turned, cooking each side for thirty seconds.Do not eat hot from the pan as they will crumble in your hands.The batch should keep up to 2 to 3 weeks.

Serve with what you fancy – try jam and cream as we do in the Café.