Banbury Cakes
Part of my Food in Film project, these feature in Brief Encounter. Modern recipes often differentiate Banbury cakes from Eccles cakes by shape (oval vs. round), but traditional Banbury cakes were flatter and made with a different pastry. This recipe isn’t “traditional”—it uses flaky pastry and includes rum (or orange juice for a non-alcoholic option) and traditional spices. They’re perfect for tea time and a great way to use up leftover dried fruit from Christmas.
Makes 6-8
Hands-on Time 15 minutes
Baking Time 24 minutes
Ingredients
60g unsalted butter (softened)
15g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
50g honey
15ml spiced rum or orange juice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
160g currants
40g mixed peel
600g rough puff pastry
1 large egg (for egg wash)
40g demerara sugar
Equipment
Baking sheet
Baking parchment
Mixing bowl
Spoon
Rolling pin
Knife
Small bowl
Fork
Pastry brush
Wire rack
Method
1. Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the filling
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and flour to form a paste.
Stir in the honey and rum/orange juice, followed by the spices (nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, and cloves).
Add the currants and mixed peel, mixing until evenly coated in the spiced paste.
3. Prepare the pastry
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry into a large rectangle about 5mm thick.
Divide the pastry into 12–16 even-sized portions using a knife.
Assemble the pastries
Place half of the pastry portions onto the lined baking sheet (these will be the bottoms).
Spoon the filling onto the pastry bottoms.
Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush the edges of the pastry around the filling.
Cover the filling with the remaining pastry pieces, pressing the edges to seal. Shape into ovals by cupping your hands around the filling.
Trim excess pastry to leave a 1cm edge around the filling.
Make 3 slashes across the top of each pastry to expose the filling.
4. Bake the pastries
Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden.
5. Cool and serve
Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve and enjoy!
Enjoy!
