Whilst we are all in lockdown we invite you to join us in two 'Baking with MamGu' challenges! The challenges are open to all ages and we will be choosing a winner of Challenge Two - The Alternative, and will sell the winning welsh cake flavour in our Solva Coffee Shop when we re-open as a limited addition charity welsh cake! So, are you in? Ready, Steady, BAKE!!!! Challenge One - Traditional We’d like you to have a go at making traditional flavoured welsh cakes. Below you’ll find the recipe with some hints and tips at the bottom on how to make the best welsh cakes ever! We think we’re pretty good at them by now but will fully admit that no one makes the best Welshcakes like a Mamgu. So if in doubt, pick up the phone and ask a Mamgu! MamGu Traditional Welsh Cakes Ingredients 225g Self raising flour or plain flour with 1tsp of baking powder 125g butter or margarine 75g caster sugar 75g dried fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas or a mix) 1 large egg, beaten A good pinch of mixed spice Recipe Firstly, wash your hands! You’re going to be using your hands to mix the ingredients together, so make sure they’re really clean! In a large mixing bowl rub the flour, spice and butter together till it comes together like breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and dried fruit. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add the beaten egg. Get ready as things are about to get messy! With your hands stir the egg into the rest of the ingredients and keep mixing until you get a firm ball of dough. If you find your mixture is too dry, add a dash of milk. Once you have your ball of dough, you’re ready to roll. Sprinkle a clean work surface with some flour and roll out the dough till it's about 1cm thick. Then using a cookie cutter (any shape will do) start cutting. Keep repeating this process till all the dough is gone. When you’ve cut them all out, you can start cooking. Traditionally they were cooked on a bakestone/griddle, but a frying pan will do the job just as well. Set the temperature to a medium heat, make sure the pan is nice and hot before you use it. Gently place the Welshcakes in the pan, leave them for about 3-5 minutes each side until they become a lovely golden-brown colour. Don't rush. Once cooked, place on a cooling rack or plate and leave to cook for a couple of minutes before tucking into them. Either eat them as they are or sprinkle with sugar for extra sweetness. MamGu’s Top Tips! Don’t flip the Welshcakes too early! When you see the welsh cakes start to change colour (they’ll become lighter and the side touching the pan will start to crisp up) that’s the time to flip. Make sure you give yourself plenty of room when putting the Welshcakes on the pan. If you place them too close together, you’ll find it hard to flip them over. Gluten free? Not a problem! Just switch the flour to gluten free flour and add a dash of Xanthan gum and you’re on to a winner! Vegan/Dairy free? Easy! Switch to dairy free spread and instead of an egg add a dash of dairy free milk. Don’t like mixed spice? Try nutmeg or cinnamon, or just leave it out! Don’t like dried fruit? Leave it out! We’ll be doing alternative flavours next, so make sure you find our recipes and top tips on how to make different flavoured welsh cakes and how to create your own flavour. Fancy something a bit extra? We highly recommend adding a dollop of jam and clotted cream with your welsh cake, or how about a scoop of ice cream with your warm welsh cakes? Good luck! Challenge Two - The Alternative So, you’ve already had a go at making traditional flavoured welsh cakes, how did it go? Is there anything you would have done differently? If so, now’s your chance to put it into practise! Remember, the best flavour will be sold in our Solva Coffee Shop when we re-open, with the money going to a charity of your choice. We’re asking you to come up with your own flavour of welsh cake. As you may know we do a number of different flavoured welsh cakes ranging from the savoury like cheese and leek, to the chocolatiest triple chocolate. We’d like you to get creative and think of what your perfect welsh cake flavour would be. The possibilities are endless! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. And as with the traditional welsh cake, don’t forget to share a picture of your creation with us on facebook! Ingredients If you want to do a sweet welsh cake these are going to be your base ingredients: 225g Self raising flour or plain flour with 1tsp of baking powder 125g butter or margarine 75g caster sugar 1 large egg, beaten If you would like to do a savoury welsh cake, take out the caster sugar. MamGu’s Top Tips! Experiment! We found out that too much cocoa powder can make your welsh cake too ‘cake’ like and therefore won’t cook on a griddle, there’s always a balance to everything. Adding another liquid to the mixture may mean you need to add more flour to get the right dough consistency. If it doesn’t work out first time, try again using slightly different quantities. Marshmallows stick to everything apart from the welsh cake!! (We learnt this the hard way!) Before you ruin your mums best pan, think about what ingredients you’re using and what happens when you heat them up. Does it melt? Is it sticky? Could I incorporate this ingredient in the welsh cake some other way? (Those who remember our welsh cake s’more will know how we overcame the marshmallow hurdle) There are lots of different ways to bring a flavour into a welsh cake. You could put it in the mix, you could stuff the welsh cake with a filling, or decorate the welsh cake once its cooked. Maybe your welsh cake will be designed to be served with something else?! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Good luck and we look forward to seeing what you come up with! Don’t forget to share a picture of your creation with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @mamgu_welshcakes to be in with a chance of winning!