Eccles Cake – square ones

I love Eccles cakes and have not had any in years as of course I have not seen them sold anywhere here. Then I saw a food programme with Ainsley Harriet who made it in the oven using ready made puff pastry. I quickly ran through the ingredients and realised that we had everything in the cupboard. So next weekend I tried the recipe and it turned out just delicious.

Ingredients

Two sheets of puff pastry

8 tablespoons of raisins, currents and mixed peel (1 spoonful for each Eccles cake)

25gm butter 

50 grams brown sugar 

1 ½ teaspoon of mixed spices: cinnamon: cloves and nutmeg or allspice

1 egg beaten

Method

Defrost puff pastry sheets but do not let them dry out.

In a bowl mix the raisins, currents and mixed peel with butter, spices and sugar. Keep 1 table spoon of sugar aside for later.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares. 

Lightly egg wash the edges of each square.

Put a tablespoon of the mixed fruit and spices filling in the middle of the square. Then bring adjacent edges together and press them to seal the filled pocket. This gives the Eccles cake a square shape. 

Place each square, with the smooth side up, on the baking tray. Apply the egg wash on the surface and sprinkle some of the brown sugar on it.

Preheat oven to 375F or 190C.

Place the tray of pastry in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 mins. Please check at 10 mins to turn the tray around if the pastry is cooking faster on one side than the other. It should be evenly golden when cooked.

Remove from oven and leave on a rack to cool.

Tips

You do not have to be strict about the shape. I have even made it in triangles.

Try not to over fill as then the pastry can split.

If you do not want to use an egg wash, you can use milk instead. I have used both and they work equally well.