Gluten-Free Welsh Cakes

Welsh Cakes resting on a wire rack and dusted with caster sugar.

5 from 3 votes

These Gluten-Free Welsh Cakes are golden, buttery, and perfectly spiced. Made on a griddle or cast iron pan, they’re soft yet slightly crisp on the outside, dotted with currants, and dusted with a sugar crunch. Perfectly simple, cosy and quick to make with a homemade gluten-free flour blend and no xanthan gum.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Afternoon Tea

Cuisine: British

Servings:

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

225 g homemade gluten-free flour blend* FTL blend
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
100 g unsalted butter cold and sliced
70 g caster sugar plus 3 tablespoons extra for sprinkling
75 g currants
1 egg medium
2-3 teaspoons whole milk
1 tablespoon butter or lard for cooking

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, mixed spice, sea salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the sliced cold butter and rub into the flour using the tips of your fingertips until the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs.
Mix in the currants.
Bring a wide flat bottomed saucepan (a cast iron skillet is perfect) up to a gentle heat (medium-low) so it can be heating whilst you finish the dough.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and lightly whisk. Then make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the egg.
Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough, if more moisture is needed add some milk but you shouldn’t need more than 2-3 teaspoons. At some point tip the dough out onto a clean work surface as it easier to mould the dough into a smooth ball this way.
Dust the work surface with a little gluten-free flour. Pat out the dough ball then using a flour-dusted rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s about 1cm thick and then cut the cakes using a 6/7 cm pastry cutter (my cutter is 68mm). Re-roll the dough scraps out and cut out more Welsh Cakes until all the dough has been used.
Brush the bottom of the pan with a light amount of butter using a silicone pastry brush (you don’t want the Welsh Cakes to fry in a deep pool of butter).
Add the Welsh Cakes to the pan in batches, about 4-5 at a time. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until just turning golden and slightly risen.
Transfer the cooked Welsh Cakes from the pan to a cooling rack and immediately sprinkle with caster sugar on each side.
Welsh Cakes are delicious warm and best eaten on the day they are made.

Notes

Egg. The egg used in this recipe is medium size, 60g each with shell and 50g without shell.

*Gluten-Free Flour Blend. This recipe has been specifically developed to be used with my homemade gluten-free flour blend (a mix of sorghum flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour and tapioca flour). Click here for >>> the recipe for this flour blend where there are suggestions for flour swaps if needed.

I don’t recommend swapping the homemade flour blend for a shop bought flour blend as they will not have the necessary balance of wholegrain flours and starches to make the recipe work.

Use the butter direct from the fridge then slice very thinly to achieve the right texture.
Make sure the heat is medium-low to ensure even cooking. You need a gentle heat to avoid it burning on the outside before it is cooked in the middle.
Avoid overworking the dough. Handle the dough gentle and don’t overwork otherwise you’ll get tough oat cakes.

US customary measurements

These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 Welsh Cake.

Nutrition