Teisin Lap (Plate Cake)
Submitted by sandrabush
Traditional Welsh plate cake cooked on a bakestone with dried fruit, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Teisin Lap is a rustic griddle cake with a golden crust and tender, fruited crumb, no oven required.
YIELD
1 cakePREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minTeisin Lap, or “moist cake” in Welsh, is one of the oldest and most beloved bakes in Wales, cooked not in an oven but on a flat bakestone or griddle.
The dough is beautifully simple: flour rubbed with butter and lard to a breadcrumb texture, sweetened with soft brown sugar, studded with mixed dried fruit, and bound with eggs and cream.
Rolled thick, cut into rounds, and cooked slowly on a hot greased griddle, each cake develops a gorgeous golden crust while the inside stays soft and fruited.
This is the kind of heritage recipe that connects you straight to a Welsh farmhouse kitchen.
Chef Tips
- Keep the butter and lard cold when you rub them in. Cold fat gives you that flaky, crumbly texture that makes these cakes special.
- Don’t rush the griddle cooking. Low, even heat for 15 minutes per side is what gives you a cooked-through center without a burnt exterior.
- If you don’t have a bakestone, a heavy cast-iron skillet works beautifully. Just keep the heat on medium-low.
- Buttermilk instead of cream gives a slightly tangier flavor and a more tender crumb.
Ingredients
Directions
Sift the flour, baking powder and nutmeg into a mixing bowl.
Cut the fat into the flour and rub it to a breadcrumb-like consistency.
Mix in the sugar and dried fruit.
Stir in the eggs, and sufficient cream or buttermilk to make a soft dough.
Roll out to 1 inch thick, cut into 2½-inch rounds.
Cook on a warmed greased bakestone for about 15 minutes on each side.
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