A cup of tea and a warm buttered Welsh Cake

I am technically a quarter Welsh, although I have never had much of an affinity to the Land of My Fathers, or Nana in my case, but I like leeks, Gavin & Stacey and I am fond of daffodils, so the Welsh gene must be somewhere amidst all that Englishness.  In the mood for something to drink with my afternoon cuppa, I thought I would give Welsh Cakes a go.  I've had them once before; they look unremarkable, quite understated in fact, but served warm with butter, a sprinkling of sugar or drizzle of honey they beat having a biscuit with a cup of tea any day.  They are easy to make, a bit like cookies or biscuits, except instead of baking them in the oven, you griddle them on the stove top.

225g self raising flour
75g caster sugar + extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice (or pumpkin spice)
110g cold butter
75g sultanas
1 large egg lightly beaten

Sift the flour, sugar and spice together.  Add the butter in cubes and rub the mixture in with your fingertips until you have a crumbly, sandy texture.  Tip in the sultanas and mix in the egg.  Form a dough once the egg is incorporated, and add a little milk if it is too dry. 

On a floured surface roll out the dough, and use a cutter (approx 6cm in diameter) to cut out the cakes.  They should be about 0.5cm or 1/4 inch thick.  Keep re-rolling the dough until you run out.

If you have a cast iron griddle, then use this, but otherwise any thick, heavy bottomed pan will do.  Liberally grease it with butter and cook the cakes on a low-medium heat for 3 minutes each side until golden brown.  If they are browing too quickly, reduce the heat so they still get the 3 minutes they need on each side to cook through the middle.

Serve with a cup of tea, whilst still warm with butter and honey!