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Famous British Cakes and Bakes - The Eccles Cake
Nov 18, 2010 Sylvia Kent
читать дальше
Not good for the waistline, but some of Britain's famously known cakes and bakes are wonderful, in small quantities. Eccles Cakes are intriguing - try them
History of Eccles, Lancashire, England
The town of Eccles in Lancashire, England gives its name to the famous Eccles Cake. Actually, Eccles are not cakes at all, but are made from a light puff pastry, preferably ruff puff. A simple description is: small flat pastry filled with dried fruits and spices.
Cooking Claims From Rival Bakers
This little gem first appeared in the town’s bakeries in the mid 1790s. James Birch, a local corn miller and baker in the then tiny village of Eccles in Lancashire, is credited with the creation of this new variety of cake. His bakery stood on the corner of Vicarage Road just opposite the Parish Church in St Mary’s Street – later renamed Church Street. In 1810, Birch moved his business to larger premises across the street. Keen not to lose business, he placed an advertisement outside his new shop stating "Removed from across the way". His original shop was now in the hands of William Bradburn who had learnt cake making from Birch. Also keen to guard his interests, Bradburn chose to display his own sign, which declared "Never Removed". From then on Bradburn made the most of the fact that his were the premises where the now highly sought-after Eccles cakes were first made.
britishfood.about.com/od/recipeindex/r/ecclesca...
www.salford.gov.uk/ecclescakes.htm
The history behind (and recipe for) Eccles Cakes
Forget black puddings of dubious origin, or Yorkshire puddings that fail to rise – Eccles cakes are the dessert for the discerning palate.
History of the Eccles Cake
In 1793 James Birch’s shop on the corner of Vicarage Road in Eccles began selling small, flat, raisin-filled cakes. They sold, quite literally, like hot cakes!
Earlier, in 1769, Mrs Elizabeth Raffald, the housekeeper and owner of a confectioner’s shop in Arley Hall, Cheshire, wrote an influential cookery book, "The Experienced English Housekeeper" which became a best seller. The book contained a recipe for "sweet patties" with ingredients identifiably similar to the Eccles cakes of today. Could this have been the recipe seized upon by a cookery-mad servant girl who took a copy of the book with her when she went to live in ... Eccles?
Whatever the murky origins of the cakes, James Birch was certainly the first person credited with selling them on a commercial basis. They were sold from a shop at the corner of Vicarage Road and St Mary’s Road (now known as Church Street) in Eccles.
However, the story becomes lost in the mists of time. Although the shop’s letterhead in the 1870s showed that the firm was established in 1796, the land tax returns show that a James Birch first appeared as a "shopkeeper" in Eccles in 1785.
Whether James Birch made a name for his cakes in the 1780s, in 1796, or indeed some time later, is now impossible to say. It is equally impossible to construct a link between James Birch and Elizabeth Raffald (who died four years before the opening of Birch’s shop).
More recently the question of origin of Eccles Cakes has been raised in Parliament. A question was tabled regarding the future of cakes made outside Eccles to the same ingredients. Could non Eccles-made cakes still be referred to (and sold) as Eccles cakes?
Worldwide fame
Although traditionally made in the town from where they get their name, Eccles cakes are now famous throughout the world.
As early as 1818 they were said to be sold "at all the markets and fairs around and are even exported to America and the West Indies".
Eccles Cakes are sometimes, though always with affection, referred to as 'dead fly pies'!
The definitive recipe for Eccles Cakes?
Throughout history, families making Eccles and (the similar) Banbury cakes have all kept their recipes as closely guarded secrets. One of the most famous expressions in Eccles is "The secret dies with me!".
The authors of cookery books would therefore have had to invent their own recipes based on the taste of the cakes they purchased at different shops. 17th Century recipes for Banbury cakes do exist but show that they differ from 19th Century ones. A major difference was the use of yeast which was necessary before the introduction of raising agents.
Although no 18th Century and only a few 19th Century cookery books give recipes specifically for Eccles cakes, it may well be that early ones differ from those known today.
Mrs Raffald’s original recipe for "sweet patties" of 1769 was a mixture of the meat of a boiled calf’s foot (gelatine), plus apples, oranges, nutmeg, egg yolk, currants and French brandy enveloped in a good puff pastry which could be either fried or baked. The use of the word "meat" [or "mincemeat"] in the early recipes serves as a reminder that meat was originally an ingredient in mincemeat.
The fact that Eccles cakes were being exported by 1818 also suggests very good keeping qualities, so they may well have included spirits such as brandy and rum. No wonder the Puritans wanted to ban them.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Pre-heat oven to 220°C
Ingredients:
500g flaky pastry
25g melted butter
Nutmeg
50g candied peel
100g sugar
200g currants
Method:
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and butter and cook over a medium heat until melted
Off the heat, add currants, candied peel, nutmeg and allspice
On a lightly-floured surface, roll the pastry thinly and cut into rounds of about 0.5cm thickness and 10cm diameter
Place a small spoonful of filling onto centre of each pastry circle
Dampen the edges of the pastry and draw the edges together over the fruit and pinch to seal
Turn over, then press gently with a rolling pin to flatten the cakes
Flatten and snip a V in the top with scissors. Place on a baking tray
Brush with water and sprinkle with a little extra sugar
Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes (220°C) or until lightly browned round the edges
Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.
Try not to eat them all at once!
Famous British Cakes and Bakes - The Eccles Cake
Nov 18, 2010 Sylvia Kent
читать дальше
Not good for the waistline, but some of Britain's famously known cakes and bakes are wonderful, in small quantities. Eccles Cakes are intriguing - try them
History of Eccles, Lancashire, England
The town of Eccles in Lancashire, England gives its name to the famous Eccles Cake. Actually, Eccles are not cakes at all, but are made from a light puff pastry, preferably ruff puff. A simple description is: small flat pastry filled with dried fruits and spices.
Cooking Claims From Rival Bakers
This little gem first appeared in the town’s bakeries in the mid 1790s. James Birch, a local corn miller and baker in the then tiny village of Eccles in Lancashire, is credited with the creation of this new variety of cake. His bakery stood on the corner of Vicarage Road just opposite the Parish Church in St Mary’s Street – later renamed Church Street. In 1810, Birch moved his business to larger premises across the street. Keen not to lose business, he placed an advertisement outside his new shop stating "Removed from across the way". His original shop was now in the hands of William Bradburn who had learnt cake making from Birch. Also keen to guard his interests, Bradburn chose to display his own sign, which declared "Never Removed". From then on Bradburn made the most of the fact that his were the premises where the now highly sought-after Eccles cakes were first made.
britishfood.about.com/od/recipeindex/r/ecclesca...
www.salford.gov.uk/ecclescakes.htm
The history behind (and recipe for) Eccles Cakes
Forget black puddings of dubious origin, or Yorkshire puddings that fail to rise – Eccles cakes are the dessert for the discerning palate.
History of the Eccles Cake
In 1793 James Birch’s shop on the corner of Vicarage Road in Eccles began selling small, flat, raisin-filled cakes. They sold, quite literally, like hot cakes!
Earlier, in 1769, Mrs Elizabeth Raffald, the housekeeper and owner of a confectioner’s shop in Arley Hall, Cheshire, wrote an influential cookery book, "The Experienced English Housekeeper" which became a best seller. The book contained a recipe for "sweet patties" with ingredients identifiably similar to the Eccles cakes of today. Could this have been the recipe seized upon by a cookery-mad servant girl who took a copy of the book with her when she went to live in ... Eccles?
Whatever the murky origins of the cakes, James Birch was certainly the first person credited with selling them on a commercial basis. They were sold from a shop at the corner of Vicarage Road and St Mary’s Road (now known as Church Street) in Eccles.
However, the story becomes lost in the mists of time. Although the shop’s letterhead in the 1870s showed that the firm was established in 1796, the land tax returns show that a James Birch first appeared as a "shopkeeper" in Eccles in 1785.
Whether James Birch made a name for his cakes in the 1780s, in 1796, or indeed some time later, is now impossible to say. It is equally impossible to construct a link between James Birch and Elizabeth Raffald (who died four years before the opening of Birch’s shop).
More recently the question of origin of Eccles Cakes has been raised in Parliament. A question was tabled regarding the future of cakes made outside Eccles to the same ingredients. Could non Eccles-made cakes still be referred to (and sold) as Eccles cakes?
Worldwide fame
Although traditionally made in the town from where they get their name, Eccles cakes are now famous throughout the world.
As early as 1818 they were said to be sold "at all the markets and fairs around and are even exported to America and the West Indies".
Eccles Cakes are sometimes, though always with affection, referred to as 'dead fly pies'!
The definitive recipe for Eccles Cakes?
Throughout history, families making Eccles and (the similar) Banbury cakes have all kept their recipes as closely guarded secrets. One of the most famous expressions in Eccles is "The secret dies with me!".
The authors of cookery books would therefore have had to invent their own recipes based on the taste of the cakes they purchased at different shops. 17th Century recipes for Banbury cakes do exist but show that they differ from 19th Century ones. A major difference was the use of yeast which was necessary before the introduction of raising agents.
Although no 18th Century and only a few 19th Century cookery books give recipes specifically for Eccles cakes, it may well be that early ones differ from those known today.
Mrs Raffald’s original recipe for "sweet patties" of 1769 was a mixture of the meat of a boiled calf’s foot (gelatine), plus apples, oranges, nutmeg, egg yolk, currants and French brandy enveloped in a good puff pastry which could be either fried or baked. The use of the word "meat" [or "mincemeat"] in the early recipes serves as a reminder that meat was originally an ingredient in mincemeat.
The fact that Eccles cakes were being exported by 1818 also suggests very good keeping qualities, so they may well have included spirits such as brandy and rum. No wonder the Puritans wanted to ban them.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Pre-heat oven to 220°C
Ingredients:
500g flaky pastry
25g melted butter
Nutmeg
50g candied peel
100g sugar
200g currants
Method:
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and butter and cook over a medium heat until melted
Off the heat, add currants, candied peel, nutmeg and allspice
On a lightly-floured surface, roll the pastry thinly and cut into rounds of about 0.5cm thickness and 10cm diameter
Place a small spoonful of filling onto centre of each pastry circle
Dampen the edges of the pastry and draw the edges together over the fruit and pinch to seal
Turn over, then press gently with a rolling pin to flatten the cakes
Flatten and snip a V in the top with scissors. Place on a baking tray
Brush with water and sprinkle with a little extra sugar
Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes (220°C) or until lightly browned round the edges
Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.
Try not to eat them all at once!