Traditional Banbury Cakes – Made with puff pastry with a filling of buttery, spiced dried fruits, these are delectable little British bakes.
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Close cousin of the Eccles Cake and Chorley Cake
Close cousin to the Eccles Cake, which originate in the English county of Lancashire, and the Chorley Cake, my recipe for Traditional Banbury Cakes is an Oxfordshire speciality.
Made with light puff pastry with a filling of buttery, spiced dried fruits, with rum and/or rosewater added sometimes, they are truly delectable little British bakes.
They make a fabulous tea time treat for afternoon tea, or the Sunday Tea Tray, and why not make a batch to take on a country picnic too?
Banbury is also famous for the 16th century nursery rhyme ” Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross”, whih I love singing to my granddaughter, as shared below:
“Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady ride on a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes”
Whereas Eccles cakes are round, Banbury Cakes are oval – but there are little other differences between the cakes, which both have a sugary egg white glaze.
I have made both at home, as well as Chorley Cakes, which are made with shortcrust pastry. It’s always a joy to bake traditional British bakes and cakes, to keep them alive.
Today’s recipe for Traditional Banbury Cakes comes from one of my favourite vintage cookbooks, “Farmhouse Fare – Recipes from Country Housewives” as collected by the Farmer’s Weekly magazine.
I last served these on some lovely new china that Burleigh sent me, Blossom Calico, which is so pretty for Spring and Summer, and co-ordinates well with Blue Calico too.
Enjoy these gorgeous puff pastry morsels if you make them, and please do let me know how they were recieved by you, and your family and friends, in the comments below. Karen
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Cooking and Baking Notes
- For a more traditional recipe, add 1 tablespoon of rum in place of the lemon juice, or a teaspoon of rosewater.
- Nutmeg (ground) if often added too, about 1/4 of a teaspoon for a more pungent spice taste.
- These are best eaten fresh and not frozen – they keep in an airtight tin for up to 3 or 4 days.
- They are also delicious when heated up and served with cream for a hot pudding.
More Traditional British Bakes
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Traditional Banbury Cakes Recipe
Traditional Banbury Cakes
Yield:
10
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour
Close cousin to the Eccles Cake, which originate in the English county of Lancashire, and the Chorley Cake, my recipe for Traditional Banbury Cakes is an Oxfordshire speciality.
Made with light puff pastry with a filling of buttery dried fruits, with rum and/or rosewater added sometimes, they are truly delectable little British bakes.
They make a fabulous tea time treat for afternoon tea, or the Sunday Tea Tray, and why not make a batch to take on a country picnic too?
Banbury is also famous for the 16th century nursery rhyme ” Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross”, whih I love singing to my granddaughter, as shared below:
“Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady ride on a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes”
Whereas Eccles cakes are round, Banbury Cakes are oval – but there are little other differences between the cakes, which both have a sugary egg white glaze.
I have made both at home, as well as Chorley Cakes, which are made with shortcrust pastry. It’s always a joy to bake traditional British bakes and cakes, to keep them alive.
Today’s recipe for Traditional Banbury Cakes comes from one of my favourite vintage cookbooks, “Farmhouse Fare – Recipes from Country Housewives” as collected by the Farmer’s Weekly magazine.
I last served these on some lovely new china that Burleigh sent me, Blossom Calico, which is so pretty for Spring and Summer, and co-ordinates well with Blue Calico too.
Enjoy these gorgeous puff pastry morsels if you make them, and please do let me know how they were recieved by you, and your family and friends, in the comments below. Karen
Ingredients
- 1 x 320g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 65g butter
- 75g chopped mixed peel
- 150g currants
- 50g light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- A little lemon juice
- 1 x egg white, beaten
- White sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas 4. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Beat the butter until it is light and creamy, then add the chopped mixed peel, currants, light brown sugar, spices and about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix well. The mixture should resemble mincemeat.
- Lay the pastry out on a floured board, and cut into 10 squares.
- Place a spoonful of the dried fruit mixture into the middle of each square, and fold over the pastry to form a parcel. Seal well.
- Turn the parcels over and lightly roll them out, to form an oval, until the pastry is thin on top, but hasn’t spilt or broken.
- Place them onto the prepared baking tray as you make them. The seam should be underneath.
- Make 3 or 4 cuts on top with a sharp knife to expose the fruit filling.
- Brush the beaten egg white over the top of the cakes, then sprinkle the white sugar over to make an egg white glaze.
- Bake them in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or umtil they are puffed up and golden brown.
- Remove them from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle extra white sugar over the top just before serving if you wish.
Notes
For a more traditional recipe, add 1 tablespoon of rum in place of the lemon juice, or a teaspoon of rosewater.
Nutmeg (ground) if often added too, about 1/4 of a teaspoon for a more pungent spice taste.
These are best eaten fresh and not frozen – they keep in an airtight tin for up to 3 or 4 days.
They are also delicious when heated up and served with cream for a hot pudding.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10
Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 127Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 14mgSodium 57mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 15gProtein 1g
Recipes by me with Burleigh
