Name: Eccles Cakes
Yield: Makes 16 cakes
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon salt; ⅔ cup (95 g) dried currants; Demerara sugar, for sprinkling (optional); 1 tablespoon brandy or Cognac (optional); 1 egg white, lightly whisked; ¼ teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 cup (225 g) cold unsalted butter, diced; ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest; ⅓ cup (80 ml) ice-cold water; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at very soft room temperature; 1 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar; ¼ cup (35 g) chopped mixed candied orange and lemon peel; 2 cups (250 g) flour, plus more for the work surface and rolling

Preparation info

Makes
16
cakes

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook

By Downton Abbey

Published 2020

About

The first official Eccles cakes were sold in 1793 from a bakery in the town of Eccles, in Lancashire. The light, flaky pastry for these small currant-filled sweets is a cross between a pie dough and a puff pastry dough, with just a hint of sweetness. It’s said that these gems are typically 40 percent filling and 60 percent pastry, to ensure the perfect balance of sweet fruit and crispy, buttery pastry.