Banbury Cake
Ingredients
- 500 g puff pastry
- Filling: 50 g butter, 150 g currants, 50 g mixed candied peel, 50 g brown sugar, nutmeg or mixed spice, 1 tsp lemon juice
- milk and sugar, for glazing
Banbury cakes come from the Oxfordshire town of the same name and, similar to Eccles cakes, wrap a buttery, spiced dried-fruit filling in light puff pastry. The filled pastry is folded up like a small purse, turned seam-side down, then gently rolled into a distinctive flattened oval before baking.
Method
Beat the butter until light, then mix in the currants, candied peel, sugar, spice and lemon juice.
Roll the puff pastry and cut into rounds.
Spoon the filling onto each round, gather the edges up over the filling, and pinch together to seal into a purse.
Turn each parcel over so the seam is underneath, and gently roll into a flattened oval shape.
Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar, then cut a few small slashes across the top.
Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
