When we’re all out of isolation and back in the world, I recommend a trip to the quaint Suffolk village of Orford. There’s a perpetual Richard-Curtis-film-cosiness to the place, and its Pump Street Bakery has superlative cakes and pastries. I can’t stop thinking about their signature eccles cakes: flaky, buttery pastry, stuffed with fruit and oozing a deliciously crunchy caramel. These are my homage, enough to satisfy my cravings until my next trip to Suffolk.
Eccles cakes
I’ve already deviated from the traditional recipe by including prunes in the filling, so feel free to freestyle and swap in your favourite dried fruit. Cherries, apricots and cranberries would all add a touch of sharpness to balance the sweetness.
Prep Overnight + 20 min
Chill 1 hr
Cook 20 min
Makes 10
For the filling
60g currants
60g raisins
60g prunes, chopped into raisin-sized pieces
60ml lemon juice
60ml orange juice
125g light brown sugar
For the flaky pastry
250g bread flour
200g salted butter, frozen
150g cold water
To assemble
1 egg, beaten
3-4 tbsp demerara sugar
The night before baking, tip the fruit into a bowl along with the juice. Stir to combine, then cover and leave to soak overnight.
To make the pastry, tip the flour into a large mixing bowl, then coarsely grate the frozen butter over it before stirring through. Gradually add the water, stirring as you go until the mixture forms clumps (you may need slightly more or less water). Bring it together into a ball of dough, then cover with clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for an hour.
To assemble the eccles cakes, dust a work surface with flour, then roll the pastry out to 3-4mm thick, then cut out 10cm rounds.
Heat the oven to in an oven heated to 210C (200C fan)/gas 7. Stir the sugar into the fruit mix, then put a heaped tablespoon into the centre of each round. Wet the edges of the pastry with a little water, then bring the edges together from one end to the next (a bit like a tiny pasty) to form an oval shape. Turn over and lay seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.
Brush the tops with beaten egg, then make three slashes across each with a sharp knife. Dust with the demerara sugar and bake for 18-20 minutes, until risen and golden brown.
