These not-too-sweet fruit-filled flaky pastry cakes hail from the town of Eccles in Lancashire. Their origin is not really known, though they are though to have some religious significance. They are simple to make and tast great served warm with tea or whipped cream for a quick pudding at Easter or Christmas.

Ingredients

• 400 gram packet frozen flaky puff pastry, defrosted
• ¾ cup Christmas fruit mince or well-packed mixed fruit
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• about 3 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Lightly grease two baking trays or line with baking paper.
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to about a 3-mm thickness. Allow the pastry to rest for 5 minutes and roll further, if necessary.
3. Dip a 8-cm round cutter into flour and use to cut circles from the pastry. Layer the remaining pastry and re-roll. Never knead puff pastry scraps together. The pastry has been made carefully with layers so that it puffs and rises in layers when cooked. If you knead the scraps together, the layers get trapped and the baked result will be soggy and tough.
4. Place about 1 level teaspoon of fruit mince in the centre of each pastry circle. Bring the edges together and pinch in the centre.
5. Turn over and press the little cakes with a rolling pin until the fruit can just be seen through the pastry. Place on the prepared tray.
6. Brush the tops of each cake generously with the beaten egg white and sprinkle each liberally with caster sugar. Use a small knife to make three cuts in the top of each cake.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden and the pastry is cooked. Best served warm.

Cooks Tips

- Store-bought fruit mince is too soft, sweet and syrupy. To remedy this, use about ½ cup of mixed dried fruit with ¼ cup of fruit mince. - If using dried fruit only, toss the fruit with 1 tablespoon of rum or brandy and allow to stand for 10 minutes to soak up the flavour before using.