Mini Port Spiked Eccles Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Pate Brisee:Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together. To test, squeeze a small amount together; if it is crumbly, add up to 1/4 cup more ice water, a little at a time. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• Filling:In a large heatproof bowl, combine both raisins, figs, and dates. Add boiling water and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Strain and discard liquid. In a separate bowl, mix together granulated sugar, flour, salt, and orange zest and juice until combined. Fold in softened fruit. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut out rounds (you should have about 7); transfer to prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining disk. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 teaspoon water for egg wash; set aside.
• Spread each round with 1 tablespoon filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush edges with egg wash, then fold to make a half-moon shape and press to seal edges. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.
• Using a paring knife, make three diagonal slits across each cake. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely before serving.

Steps:

• At least 2 hrs before baking, wrap the butter for the pastry in foil and freeze it.
• Tip the flour into a big bowl with 1 /2 tsp salt. Hold the butter block in the foil (peeling back a little at a time as you need), then coarsely grate straight into the bowl of flour, dipping the end of the butter into the flour every so often - this helps to stop all the butter clumping together. Use a cutlery knife to lightly stir together. Stir in about 120ml cold water to bring the dough together, then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• To make the filling, mix the butter, brown sugar, currants, mixed peel, lemon zest, cloves and port in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted and the port has become thick and sticky, then leave to cool at room temperature for 1 hr.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge 10 mins before rolling. Roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin and stamp out into circles using a 10cm cutter. Bring the pastry trimmings together and re-roll to make a few more circles. Divide the filling between the pastry and brush the edges with a little water. Pull up the sides and pinch together to seal. Flip the cakes over and press each one down with the palm of your hand to make a puck. Arrange over two baking sheets.
• Whisk the egg white until a little foamy, then brush over the cakes and sprinkle over the granulated sugar. Slash the top of each one a few times with a sharp knife, then chill for at least 20 mins. You can also freeze the cakes for up to two months at this point.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Bake the Eccles cakes for 20-25 mins until golden and crisp. If baking from frozen, add another 5 mins. Cool for at least 10 mins before serving. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

Steps:

• PASTRY: Mix together flour and salt.
• Cut in lard and butter.
• In measuring cup, mix egg and lemon juice; add cold water to make 1/2 cup liquid; beat with fork.
• Stirring with fork, add enough liquid to flour mixture to make soft, slightly sticky dough.
• Wrap and chill for several hours.
• FILLING: Cover currants with boiling water, let stand 5 minutes, then DRAIN.
• Cream butter with sugar; stir in spices and currants.
• Roll out pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 3 1/2 inch rounds.
• Place spoonful of filling (about 2 tsp.) in centre of each, bring up edges of pastry and pinch well to seal.
• Turn over and flatten gently with a rolling pin to make round cakes.
• (Currants should just show below surface.) Place on ungreased baking sheet; brush with egg, and sprinkle with sugar.
• Cut 2 slashes in top of each.
• Bake in 425 F.
• oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Makes about 20 pastries.
• Canadian Living Cookbook.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, dice the butter and put it in the freezer to go really hard. Tip flour into the bowl of a food processor with half the butter and pulse to the texture of breadcrumbs. Pour in the lemon juice and 100ml iced water, and pulse to a dough. Tip in the rest of the butter and pulse a few times until the dough is heavily flecked with butter. It is important that you don't overdo this as the flecks of butter are what makes the pastry flaky.
• On a floured surface roll the pastry out to a neat rectangle about 20 x 30cm. Fold the two ends of the pastry into the middle (See picture 1), then fold in half (pic 2). Roll the pastry out again and refold the same way 3 more times resting the pastry for at least 15 mins each time between roll and fold, then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins before using.
• To make the filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Take it off the heat and stir in all the other ingredients until completely mixed, then set aside.
• To make the cakes, roll the pastry out until it's just a little thicker than a £1 coin and cut out 8 rounds about 12cm across. Re-roll the trimming if needed. Place a good heaped tablespoon of mixture in the middle of each round, brush the edges of the rounds with water, then gather the pastry around the filling and squeeze it together (pic 3). Flip them over so the smooth top is upwards and pat them into a smooth round. Flatten each round with a rolling pin to an oval until the fruit just starts to poke through, then place on a baking tray. Cut 2 little slits in each Eccles cakes, brush generously with egg white and sprinkle with the sugar (pic 4).
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Bake the Eccles cakes for 15-20 mins until just past golden brown and sticky. Leave to cool on a rack and enjoy while still warm or cold with a cup of tea. If you prefer, Eccles cakes also go really well served with a wedge of hard, tangy British cheese such as Lancashire or cheddar.