Recipe: Chorley Cakes

Hello everybody! It's "Kids in the Kitchen" time again ;)

The kids were itching to bake in the kitchen, so I looked up an easy recipe that they can do and found this recipe for "Chorley Cakes" in James Martin's cookbook. Chorley cake is a flattened, fruit filled shortcrust pastry cake originating from the town of Chorley in Lancashire, England. Locals often refer to it as Fly Pie. Traditionally, Chorley cakes have no sugar in them, but this version that we made had some in it.

This recipe only requires 6 ingredients, so after setting up the table with the ingredients, the kids donned their aprons and got to work. My job is to supervise only, and I was so proud to see them doing all the steps together (teamwork - that's what I like to see) and following instructions well. Tasks include measuring, mixing with their hands, kneading, and rolling out the dough.

After the Chorley cakes were out of the oven and cooled, we sat down to have some... it was delicious! Well done kids ;) Eaten warm, it was still crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, and dotted with lots and lots of raisins. The texture is pretty similar to scones. You can eat them on its own or with a slathering of butter on top. 

Chorley Cakes
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from James Martin The Collection
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-22 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (or margarine)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup raisins or currants
2 tbsp milk



1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan.

2. Sift the flour and nutmeg into a large bowl. Add the butter and sugar and mix with your fingers until the texture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Make a well in the centre, and add the water. Mix to form a dough and then turn out to a lightly floured surface and then knead in the currants/raisins.

4. Dust the surface with more flour and then roll out using a rolling pin to form a slab measuring about 1cm thick.

5. Carefully transfer the slab onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with milk, and then place in oven for 20-22 minutes (the surface will be lightly golden when it's ready).

6. Once cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 mins, and then cut into slices (any size you like) with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Note: Your kids can do all steps on their own, with adult supervision.

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