Eccles Cakes

Method

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1. Mix the currants, melted butter, brown sugar, both zests, spices, candied peel and rum. Leave 20 minutes to swell.

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2. Roll the pastry on a floured surface to 4 mm and cut eight 12 cm rounds.

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3. Put a heaped spoonful of filling in the centre of each round.

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4. Gather the pastry up over the filling and pinch it firmly closed, then turn each cake over and flatten gently with a rolling pin until the currants show through.

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5. Set them on a lined tray and refrigerate 30 minutes.

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6. Slash each cake three times across the top with a sharp knife.

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7. Brush with the egg white and scatter generously with caster sugar.

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8. Bake at 200C fan / 220C / gas 7 for 20 minutes, until deep gold and the sugar has caramelised.

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9. Cool on a rack — the filling is molten straight from the oven.

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Chef’s Tips

• Three slashes. Unvented cakes burst at the seam.
• Chill them before baking so the layers stay separate.
• Egg white first, then sugar. It is what gives the crackling glaze.

Pairing Suggestions

• A wedge of Lancashire cheese
• Strong tea
• Butter, controversially

Storage & Reheating

In a tin for 3 days. Freeze unbaked for 3 months and bake from frozen.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.