Shrewsbury Cakes
Crisp, buttery Shropshire biscuits scented with fragrant lemon zest, aromatic caraway seeds, and sweet dried currants.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 160 kcal
Equipment
- •Baking tray
- •Greaseproof paper
- •Mixing bowl
- •Wooden spoon
- •Rolling pin
- •6cm fluted round cutter
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- fat
- 7 g
- carbs
- 22 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 2 g
- calories
- 160 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pre-heat your fan oven to 160°C (180°C conventional) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- 2
Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale and light.
- 3
Stir in the egg yolk and milk until completely combined.
- 4
Add the finely grated lemon zest, ground nutmeg, caraway seeds, and dried currants to the creamed mixture.
- 5
Sift the plain flour and fine sea salt into the bowl.
- 6
Mix gently with a wooden spoon to form a cohesive, firm biscuit dough.
- 7
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to roughly 5mm thickness.
- 8
Cut into rounds using a 6cm fluted cutter and transfer onto the prepared baking trays.
- 9
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are a delicate pale golden colour around the edges.
- 10
Sprinkle the warm biscuits immediately with extra caster sugar and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef's tips
Chill the rolled dough for ten minutes before cutting if it becomes too soft to handle. Watch the oven closely during the final minutes of baking so the dried currants do not scorch and turn bitter.
Ingredient substitutions
- caraway seeds → mixed citrus peel
- dried currants → sultanas, finely chopped
- whole milk → semi-skimmed milk
Storage
Store the cooled biscuits in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to seven days.
Reheating
Enjoy at room temperature, or warm in a low fan oven at 130°C for three minutes to refresh their buttery crunch.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overworking the dough during mixing, which develops gluten and results in a tough biscuit rather than a short, crisp crumb.
- •Rolling the dough too thinly, causing the biscuits to overbake and dry out quickly in the oven.
- •Allowing the currants to sit directly on the hot metal tray without dough underneath, which leads to burnt spots.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Shrewsbury Cakes?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from West Midlands
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
