Eccles cakes

As soon as I was old enough to leave the house on my own it became my job to buy the bread for the weekend. Every Saturday I would take the trip to Gordon's bakery to buy one of their fantastic loaves, still warm from the oven. As well as their delicious bread Gordon's also sold cakes. If I was lucky I would be allowed a cake as a treat, my favourite was, and still is the Eccles cake.

They may not be as glamorous as Danish pastries or French croissants but when it comes to flavour Eccles cakes can compete with the best of them. A delicious combination of juicy currants and candied peel wrapped in flaky pastry, they have remained incredibly popular for over 200 years.

I tried making my own Eccles cakes last night and they were a big hit, I've already had demands for more! Here's the recipe I used, based on the recipe from the Be-Ro cookbook.

Recipe for Eccles cakes

250g (8oz) puff pastry
50g (2oz) unsalted butter
100g (4oz) currants
25g (1oz) brown sugar
25g (1oz) cut mixed peel

1	Heat oven to 230ºC, 450ºF, Gas Mark 8.
2	Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave, add the fruit, sugar and peel. Mix together.
3	Turn mixture into a basin and allow to cool.
4	Roll out pastry 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick, cut into large rounds with a plain cutter.
5	Place a spoonful of filling on each round, dampen the edges of pastry and draw them together to enclose filling.
6	Turn smooth side up and roll lightly to flatten.
7	Cut tops to show filling, brush with milk. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes.