Teisen Lap was regarded as an ‘ordinary’ cake, baked fairly regularly in the coal-mining villages of south Wales. It stood the miner in good stead as a ‘sweet’ for his mid-day meal underground, and the moist texture of the cake prevented it from crumbling in his tuck-box.
The name describes the texture of the cake as the word llap (rarely used these days in Welsh) means moist or wet. This Welsh farmhouse classic was traditionally baked on a plate, and is best served with a lovely cup of tea.
Ingredients
Serves: 12 slices | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
225g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g Welsh butter (or half each of lard and butter)
75g caster sugar
100g currants or sultanas
1 pinch of salt
A little freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, well beaten
150ml buttermilk or milk
Method
01 Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
02 Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a bowl. Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and fruit and mix well.
03 Make a well in the centre, and pour in the eggs. Gradually add the buttermilk to the mixture and mix. The consistency should be sufficiently soft and moist for the batter to drop easily from the spoon.
04 Put the mixture into a greased shallow 20cm round tin and bake until golden and cooked through, for about 30-40 minutes.
05 Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.
06 Make a cup of tea - then sit back and enjoy!
