Eccles Cakes

How to Make Eccles Cakes Recipe - preparation 10 minutes plus resting cooking time 15 minutes plus cooling

Makes 8

Ingredients:
225g/8oz puff pastry
flour to dust
25g/1oz/2 tbsp butter, softened, plus extra to grease
2 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
25g/1oz/¼ cup finely chopped candied peel
75g/3oz/½ cup currants
grated zest of 1 orange
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

Method:
1 Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 9cm/3½in rounds.

2 In a bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, candied peel, currants, orange zest and the ground spices.

3 Place a spoonful of the spicy fruit and butter mixture in the middle of each pastry round. Draw up the pastry edges to enclose the filling, then brush the edges with water and pinch together to seal. Turn each round over and roll lightly until the currants just show through. Prick the top with a fork. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes in a cool place.

4 Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8.

5 Place the pastry rounds on a buttered baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden.

6 Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar while still warm.