Welsh cake

{{Short description|Traditional food in Wales}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Welsh cake
{{lang|cy|Picau ar y maen|nocat=y}}

| image = Closeup of Welsh cakes, February 2009.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption = Home-made Welsh cakes

| alternate_name = Bakestones

| place_of_origin = Wales

| creator =

| course =

| served = Hot or cold

| main_ingredient = Flour, sultanas, raisins, and/or currants

| variations = {{lang|cy|Llech Cymreig}}, jam split

| cookbook = Welsh Cakes

| calories =

| other =

}}

Welsh cakes ({{langx|cy|picau ar y maen}}, {{lang|cy|pice bach}}, {{lang|cy|cacennau cri}} or {{lang|cy|teisennau gradell}}), also bakestones or pics, are a traditional sweet bread in Wales.{{cite web|title=Food recipes -Welsh cakes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/welsh_cakes_16706 |publisher=BBC |year=2015 |access-date=30 April 2015 }}{{cite web|title=Traditional Welsh cake recipe|url=http://www.visitwales.com/explore/traditions-history/recipes/welsh-cakes|publisher=Visit Wales, Welsh Government|access-date=12 September 2013}} They have been popular since the late 19th century with the addition of fat, sugar and dried fruit to a longer standing recipe for flat-bread baked on a griddle.Encyclopaedia of Wales 2008 pp 931

The cakes are also known as griddle cakes or bakestones within Wales because they are traditionally cooked on a bakestone ({{langx|cy|maen|lit=stone}} or {{Langx|cy|planc|lit=board}}), a cast-iron griddle about ½" (1.5 cm) or more thick which is placed on the fire or cooker; on rare occasions, people may refer to them as griddle scones.{{cite web|date=2007-02-07|title=Fast facts about Welsh cakes - and a recipe|url=http://www.newswales.co.uk/index.cfm?id=10569|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811055146/http://www.newswales.co.uk/index.cfm?id=10569|archive-date=2014-08-11|access-date=12 September 2013|publisher=OnlineWales Internet Ltd}}{{Cite web|title=Welsh Fare|url=https://museum.wales/collections/welsh-fare/?id=118|access-date=2021-11-29|website=National Museum Wales|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129184119/https://museum.wales/collections/welsh-fare/?id=118|url-status=dead}}

Welsh cakes are made from flour, butter or lard, currants, eggs, milk, and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.{{Cite web|last=Luthern|first=Ashley|date=1 July 2009|title=Welsh Cakes: Not a Scone, Not a Cookie|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/welsh-cakes-not-a-scone-not-a-cookie-62129769/|access-date=2021-11-29|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}} They are roughly circular, a few inches (7–8 cm){{fact|date=April 2019}} in diameter and about half an inch (1–1.5 cm) thick.

Welsh cakes are served hot or cold, sometimes dusted with caster sugar. Unlike scones, they are not usually eaten with an accompaniment, though they are sometimes sold ready split and spread with jam, and they are sometimes buttered.