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These easy Gluten Free Welsh Cakes, also known as Pice ar y maen, Bakestones or Pics, are the perfect treat for St David’s Day.
These sweet breads are cooked in a griddle pan and served with butter, jam, or simply sprinkled with caster sugar.
It’s easy to make Welsh Cakes gluten free so there is no need to miss out on these tasty treats even when you have coeliac disease.
This recipe is adapted from the wonderful Welsh cakes my Mum makes, most likely inspired by our many camping trips there as a kid.
When I shared them on my Instagram story a while back I had so many requests for the recipe – so here it (finally) is!
This Welsh Cakes recipe is great for making with kids too. All you have to do is mix everything together, roll out the dough then cut out circles.
Cook the circles for a few minutes on each side in a hot frying pan and you’ve got delicious Welsh Cakes ready to enjoy!
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card below with the quantities but for the shopping list you will need:
- Plain Gluten Free Flour – Any blend of plain gluten free flour will work with this recipe. I use the FREEE plain flour, the Juvela white mix or the Asda gluten free plain flour.
- Baking Powder – This recipe only needs a small amount of baking powder but it will make the Welsh Cakes light and delicious.
- Xanthan Gum – I always add xanthan gum to gluten free bakes as it helps to stop it being too crumbly. A little goes a long way!
- Mixed Spice – In the UK you can buy Mixed Spice blends, which are used in a lot of fruit cakes or bakes like Christmas Cake. Mixed Spice is made from a blend of mainly cinnamon and coriander with the addition of caraway, nutmeg, ground ginger and cloves.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in this recipe. However you an use a hard, dairy free margarine if you want to make this recipe dairy free and gluten free.
- Caster Sugar – Welsh cakes are not overpoweringly sweet but a little caster sugar adds enough sweetness.
- Currants – You can also use raisins if you prefer, or a mixture of both. Most dried fruit will work.
- Egg – This recipe uses one large UK egg, which is just enough to bind it. I haven’t tried using an egg replacement yet.
The recipe also calls for a little milk to bind the mixture. To make gluten and dairy free Welsh cakes then use a dairy free milk like almond, gluten free oat or soya milk.
How to make Welsh Cakes gluten free
I’ve popped the recipe in a printable recipe card below but here’s a quick run through all the steps to make them.
First of all, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, before adding the cold butter, cut into small cubes.
Use your fingertips to rub the mixture together into a breadcrumb-like consistency. Just like when you’re making my gluten free shortcrust pastry!
You can also use a food processor for this part if you find it difficult to use your hands or just don’t want to get them messy.
Once rubbed in, stir in the currants before adding in the wet ingredients and bringing the mixture into a dough.
The dough will be a bit sticky but use a generous dusting of flour on the worktop before rolling it out and it will work a charm.
Simply then cut out rounds (I have a cutter set like this one) and fry them in a dry pan for a couple of minutes on each side until brown. It’s that simple.
Gluten Free Welsh Cakes FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions I get about making these easy gluten free Welsh cakes.
Are Welsh Cakes gluten free?
Traditionally Welsh Cakes are made with wheat flour, meaning they are not gluten free or safe for people with coeliac disease.
However, you can make these gluten free Welsh cakes very easily – and once you’ve tried them you might not be able to stop!
Are these gluten free Welsh Cakes dairy free?
I use butter in this Welsh Cakes recipe however they can easily be adapted to be free from dairy too.
Simply switch the butter for a hard, vegan margarine and use a dairy free milk such as soya, coconut, almond or gluten free oat milk.
Are these gluten free Welsh Cakes vegan?
This recipe does contain eggs and dairy. The dairy can easily be swapped out by using a hard, vegan margarine and dairy free milk.
However I haven’t experimented with using an egg replacer for this recipe yet.
What equipment do I need to make Welsh Cakes?
Making Welsh Cakes is super simple – you just need a few basic bits of kit that you may already have in your kitchen.
For starters you’ll need a mixing bowl and a rolling pin. You will also need a 2.5-inch round cutter to cut out the rounds.
However if you don’t have this, you can simply use a mug or glass instead!
You’ll also need a frying pan, hot plate or griddle to cook the Welsh Cakes on.
Can you freeze Welsh Cakes?
The great thing about these gluten free Welsh Cakes is that you can freeze both the dough and the finished cakes!
If freezing the dough, wrap it in clingfilm and then place in the freezer, defrosting when ready to use it.
If you are freezing the finished Welsh Cakes, freeze them between small squares of greaseproof paper so they don’t stick together.
You can then simply defrost them as and when you fancy one and either enjoy them cold or warm them slightly in a frying pan first.
What do I serve with gluten free Welsh Cakes?
To be completely honest, I love to just coat my Welsh Cakes in caster sugar and enjoy them fresh and warm from the pan.
They’re also lovely served with lashings of butter and even some jam.
And of course, you can’t beat serving them with a good cup of hot tea!
Gluten Free Welsh Cakes Recipe
This recipe makes around 20 gluten free Welsh cakes, depending on how thick you roll them and what size cutter you use.
You can easily freeze the dough or the cooked Welsh cakes so don’t worry if you only want a few – the rest will keep!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Welsh Cakes
These easy Gluten Free Welsh Cakes, also known as Pice ar y maen or Bakestones are the perfect treat for St David's Day. They're great for making with kids - serve them warm with lashings of butter.
Ingredients
- 225g plain gluten free flour
- 75g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g currants
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tsp milk
- Extra caster sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Add the gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and mixed spice to a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to the flour mix. Using your fingertips, rub the mixture together until it forms a breadcrumb-like consistency.
- Stir the currants into the mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk, before pouring into the dry ingredients.
- Using a fork and then your hands, bring the mixture together into a sticky dough. Once you can form it into a smooth (but still sticky) ball, liberally dust the worktop with gluten free flour then turn out the dough.
- Lightly knead the dough into a ball shape, before rolling out to around 5-7mm thick. Using a 2.5inch (6cm) round cutter, cut as many circles from the dough as you can, re-rolling as needed.
- Place a frying pan on a low heat and once hot, cook the rounds (4-5 at a time, depending on the size of your pan) in the dry pan for around 2 minutes, before flipping them over and cooking for a further 2 minutes. You want them to be golden brown on each side.
- Remove onto a plate and repeat until all the Welsh Cakes have cooked. Sprinkle with caster sugar and enjoy them hot or cold.
Notes
- These gluten free Welsh Cakes will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container. I like to warm them in a frying pan for 30 seconds on each side before serving.
- Made too many Welsh Cakes? Don't worry - simply let them cool and freeze them between squares of greaseproof paper so you can defrost and enjoy whenever you fancy one.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 17mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g
Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free bakes a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking ideas to get you going:
- Gluten free scones (plain or fruit)
- Gluten free Cornish pasties
- Gluten free cheese scones
- Gluten Free Tea Loaf
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Never had Welsh cakes before but tried this recipe as looks like something I would like super easy to make and taste great thank you
Yes they are much easier than you think!