British tradition
British Baking
Sponges, scones, shortbread and bakes, with the tins and tools they need.
British baking uses a vocabulary of its own (sandwich tins, self-raising flour, caster sugar, gas marks) and a set of recipes that reward good equipment and accurate weighing. Every recipe here lists the tin it was written for, and the converter below rescales it for yours.
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Enter tin sizes between 5 and 60 cm.
Recipes
British Baking recipes
Recipe · 1 hr 40 min
Bakewell Tart
Crisp shortcrust, a layer of raspberry jam and a soft almond sponge topped with flaked almonds.
Recipe · 50 min
Irish Soda Bread
A yeast-free loaf raised with bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk: mixed, shaped and baked in under an hour.
Recipe · 1 hr 30 min
Lemon Drizzle Cake
A soft lemon loaf soaked with a crunchy sugar-and-lemon drizzle while still warm.
Recipe · 1 hr 5 min
Scottish Shortbread
Three ingredients, one ratio: pale, crumbly, buttery shortbread.
Recipe · 1 hr 40 min
Treacle Tart
Crisp shortcrust filled with golden syrup, breadcrumbs and lemon: sticky, sharp and very British.
Recipe · 1 hr 15 min
Victoria Sponge
The classic two-layer sponge with jam and buttercream, named after Queen Victoria.
Recipe · 40 min
Welsh Cakes
Currant-studded griddle cakes, cooked on a bakestone and dusted with sugar.
Recipe · 1 hr 40 min
Apple Tart (Plate Pie)
Sharp Bramley apples between two layers of sweet shortcrust on a pie plate: the apple tart of every Northern Irish kitchen.
Recipe · 7 hr 30 min
Bara Brith
Wales' tea-soaked fruit loaf: moist, lightly spiced and best sliced thickly with salted butter.
Recipe · 2 hr 15 min
Bara Planc (Welsh Bakestone Bread)
A soft white bread cooked slowly on a griddle instead of in the oven: the old farmhouse bread of Wales.
Recipe · 1 hr 30 min
Barmbrack (Irish Tea Brack)
A dark, sticky Irish fruit loaf made with tea-soaked fruit: the traditional bake for Halloween.
Recipe · 3 hr 30 min
Black Bun
Bake it now for Hogmanay: a dense, spiced fruit cake sealed inside a pastry case that needs weeks to mature.
Recipe · 50 min
Brandy Snaps
Lacy, golden ginger biscuits rolled into tubes while warm and filled with cream: a classic British party treat that is easier than it looks.
Recipe · 1 hr 30 min
Chocolate Yule Log
A light chocolate sponge rolled round whipped cream and covered in glossy chocolate bark: the Christmas cake for people who do not like fruit cake.
Recipe · 30 min
Classic British Scones
Tall, light scones for afternoon tea or a cream tea, ready in about 30 minutes.
Recipe · 40 min
Crempog (Welsh Pancakes)
Thick buttermilk pancakes cooked on a bakestone, buttered and stacked high.
Recipe · 20 min
Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes)
Small, thick pancakes cooked on a griddle in minutes: buttered warm, with jam or syrup, for tea or breakfast.
Recipe · 2 hr 25 min
Dundee Cake
A lighter Scottish fruit cake with orange peel, finished with rings of whole blanched almonds.
Recipe · 2 hr 20 min
Fifteens
Northern Ireland's no-bake traybake: digestives, marshmallows and glacé cherries rolled in coconut and sliced.
Recipe · 1 hr
Gingerbread Biscuits
Crisp, warmly spiced biscuits that hold their shape for cutting, icing and hanging on the tree: the Christmas bake to do with children.
Recipe · 1 hr 15 min
Irish Apple Cake
A simple rubbed-in sponge packed with chunks of Bramley apple and topped with crunchy sugar, best served warm with custard.
Recipe · 3 hr
Millionaire's Shortbread
Buttery shortbread, thick golden caramel and a layer of chocolate: the richest traybake in the tin.
Recipe · 1 hr 30 min
Mince Pies
Crisp, buttery pastry and a spoonful of spiced mincemeat: make a batch now, freeze them, and bake fresh all December.
Recipe · 35 min
Paris Buns
Soft, sweet scone-like buns topped with crunchy sugar: a favourite of Northern Irish bakery counters.
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Kitchen & table
What you'll need
Part of British Isles cuisine.