British · Authentic-ish British
Welsh cakes
225 kcal a serving, against 292 for the traditional version. That is 67 kcal off, or 23%, with 4.4g of protein. Serves 8. 35 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The usual mix is plain flour, a heap of cold butter and lard, sugar, an egg, and a tumble of currants. The dough is patted into rounds and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. A quick flip, a sprinkle of sugar, and you're snacking like you're hiking up Pen y Fan in driving rain.
What changed, and what each change costs
Lard out; keep just butter, but less of it, and add milk
Lard gives Welsh cakes that signature crumbly softness. If you ditch it and drop the butter too, you can't just dry out the dough - so add a splash of semi-skimmed milk to wet things up. The result is a bit cakier, a bit less rich, and not so soft after they've cooled. Nobody will mistake this for bakery gold, but they still beat supermarket imports hollow.
What it costs you. You lose the melt-in-the-mouth crumb and the savoury undertone lard brings. Day one, they're respectable. By day two, chewiness creeps in. Don't expect leftovers to win any texture prizes.
Cut the frying butter back to the meanest slick you dare
The original recipe fries each batch in a good knob of butter, which is a big part of the smell (and calories). Just use enough to stop things sticking and call it a win.
What it costs you. You don't get the glistening golden finish. They look plainer and less inviting. On the other hand, it saves you 80 kcal and half a tea towel's worth of grease.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 292 | 225 |
| Protein | 4.3g | 4.4g |
| Fat | 13.8g | 6.1g |
| Saturated fat | 6.8g | 3.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 38.3g | 38.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.5g | 2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk, eggs.
The method is in the book
These are Welsh cakes for those who want a nod to tradition but need to save a bit of room for the next course. They're not as rich or short as the lard-and-butter classics, and you won't get the same soft middle if you eat them cold. Still, they're full of currants, light enough that you can have two with your tea, and you can actually make them on a Tuesday afternoon without needing a nap. If you really can't bear the absence of lard, make the real thing, eat two, and give the rest to your neighbours.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.