Banbury Cakes
Oval pastry cakes filled with spiced currants, candied peel and rum, with slashes across the top and a sugar crust.
Photograph credit: Banbury cake by Redrose64 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Oval, not round, and spicier than an Eccles. The Banbury cake is a pastry from Oxfordshire, with a filling of currants and candied peel flavoured with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and a splash of rum. The shape is the clue: it is oval, pointed at the ends, and slashed across the top in three places.
Puff pastry is the usual casing. Ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry is the shortcut, and it gives a crisp, flaky shell. Cut it into rounds, roll them slightly into ovals, and fill. Don't overfill. A heaped spoonful is too much; use about a tablespoon, spread in the middle.
The filling is mixed with softened butter and brown sugar, which melts in the oven to form the sticky centre. Candied peel adds citrus and chew, and the rum gives the whole thing warmth. Allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes so the currants plump up.
Fold the edges over to the centre and press them down, then turn the cake over and flatten it with a rolling pin to an oval about 12 cm long. Brush with egg white, sprinkle with sugar and slash the top. Bake at 200°C / 390°F for 20 minutes, until golden.
Questions About Banbury Cakes
How long does Banbury Cakes take to make?
30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of standing, so allow 1 hour 20 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 10.
Banbury Cakes: Step by Step
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Mix the currants, candied peel, brown sugar, butter, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and rum. Leave for 30 minutes.
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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C / 355°F fan) and line a baking tray.
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Roll the pastry to 3 mm thick and cut 10 rounds, 10 cm across. Put a tablespoon of filling in the centre of each. Fold the edges to the middle, press to seal, and turn over.
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Roll gently into ovals about 12 cm long. Brush with egg white, sprinkle with caster sugar and slash the tops three times.
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Bake for 20 minutes until golden and crisp.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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A Few Pointers
- Seal the edges well.
- Let the filling stand for 30 minutes.
- Cool before eating; the filling is hot.
Pairs Well With
Hot tea · Coffee · Cheddar · Clotted cream
Storage
Keeps in an airtight tin for 4 days.
Banbury Cakes Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 1 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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