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Here in the UK we’re lovers of something sweet — whether that be a mid-afternoon snack, an accompaniment to our tea or something after dinner. There rarely seems a time when a cake or biscuit wouldn’t suffice. These delicious treats are signatures of not only the UK itself but the different countries and regions that help make Great Britain, great!
Take the classic Scottish shortbread. It began life as scraps from a medieval “biscuit bread”, twice baked. It now takes place as a culinary icon: delicious, buttery and sweet. Or how about Parkin, a regional ginger cake of Yorkshire? It’s well known for its dark brown colour and fiery flavour, a particular favourite to be served on the 5th of November, Bonfire night.
Whatever your sweet of choice, we’ve got the favourites listed in our new infographic, broken down by their area and main flavours, from the classic cream tea of Cornwall to Grasmere ginger shortbread, a traditional Lake District treat. Careful though, that diet might be out the window after having a read of this!
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Sources
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- Cloake, F. (2016). How to make the perfect millionaire's shortbread. (theguardian.com)
- Dictionary of the Scots Language (2005). Empire biscuit. (dsl.ac.uk)
- Cloake, F. (2014). How to make the perfect tablet. (theguardian.com)
- Mathie, J. (1998). Scottish Teatime Recipes.
- Walkers. Queen of Cake: The history of the Dundee cake and other Scottish specialty cakes. (walkersshortbread.com)
- Gillan, A. (2016). The strange case of the Tunnock's teacakes. (theguardian.com)
- Lemm, E. (2017). Classic Scottish tipsy laird trifle recipe. (thespruce.com)
- Northern Irish Connections. Northern Irish Connections fifteens recipe. (niconnections.com)
- Allen, R. (2015). Rachel Allen’s Barmbrack (báirín breac) recipe. (telegraph.co.uk)
- European Cuisines. Ireland: porter cake. (europeancuisines.com)
- European Cuisines. Ireland: Irish whiskey cake. (europeancuisines.com)
- Welsh Cakes. History of Tan y Castell: Welsh cakes. (welshcakes.com)
- Aberffraw Biscuits. Croeso, "welcome", to Aberffraw Biscuit Co. (aberffrawbiscuits.com)
- Romney's. Welcome to Romney's. (mintcake.co.uk)
- Lancashire Eccles Cakes. The origins of Eccles cakes. (lancashireecclescakes.co.uk)
- Green Chronicle. British recipes: cakes. (greenchronicle.com)
- Duff, J. (2015). Cakes: Regional and Traditional. (books.google.com)
- Gazzard, C. (2015). The history of pastry. (greatbritish.com)
- Bakewell Online. The Bakewell Pudding. (bakewellonline.co.uk)
- Oakden. Yorkshire parkin. (oakden.co.uk)
- Betty's. Fat Rascals. (bettys.co.uk)
- Grasmere Gingerbread. What is Grasmere gingerbread. (grasmeregingerbread.co.uk)
- The Foods of England. London buns or Johnny cakes. (foodsofengland.co.uk)
- BBC. Lardy cake recipes. (bbc.co.uk)
- Green Chronicle. British recipes: biscuits. (greenchronicle.com)
- Green Chronicle. British recipes: Maidstone biscuits. (greenchronicle.com)
- Haringey Council. Tottenham cake. (haringey.gov.uk)
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The UK according to cakes and biscuits
No journey in the UK is complete without a slice of cake or a nibble on a biscuit. Below, we take you from Scotland to the South of England, listing the country’s delicious delicacies; from the well-known to the less commonly known teatime treats.
Cakes, biscuits and buns from Scotland
Shortbread
Made with copious amounts of butter and sugar, the iconic Scottish shortbread is a crumbly biscuit widely associated with Mary, Queen of Scots.
Caramel Shortbread
A deluxe version of the standard shortbread, caramel shortbread has the added bonus of a mouthwatering layer of caramel topped with smooth, hard chocolate. Sweet and rich, it also goes by the name of Millionaire’s Shortbread.
Empire Biscuits
A delightful sandwich made from two pieces of shortbread with jam in the middle, topped with icing and a glace cherry, these tasty treats are known by many different names, including Imperial Biscuits, Deutsch Biscuits and Freedom Biscuits.
Tablet
Scottish tablet is similar to fudge, but fans of either will know that tablet is grainier and more brittle, while fudge is smooth and softer. Tablet is made of sugar, milk and butter, combined and boiled before being left to set.
Raspberry Buns
An indulgent treat to be enjoyed alongside high tea, these baked goodies toe the line between cake and biscuit, revealing a hidden jam filling when you take your first bite. Flour, sugar, butter, egg and milk are combined into a scone-like consistency, traditionally with raspberry jam in the centre, and caster sugar dusted on top.
Oat Cakes
These crunchy, savoury biscuits/crackers are particularly delicious when topped with cheese for a tasty and filling snack. Made from oats, salt, olive oil, butter and water, they are a simple Scottish staple which traditionally would have been cooked on a griddle and have been enjoyed as far back as the Roman times.
Dundee Cake
As the name would suggest, this tasty fruitcake has roots in Dundee, where it was first commercially made by the marmalade company, Keiller’s Marmalade, or so they claim. Packed with lemon and orange zest, glace cherries, candied citrus peel, currents, sultanas and almonds, they are decorated with a pretty circular design of almonds.
Tunnock’s Tea Cakes
One of the only branded products on our list, Tunnock’s Tea Cakes was the brainchild of Boyd Tunnock, one of a long line of family bakers. The biscuit base, marshmallow middle and milk chocolate covering formed a unique treat which became a firm favourite in households all over the UK.
Tipsy Laird
A quirky name bestowed on a quirky dessert, the Tipsy Laird is essentially a trifle which replaces sherry with whiskey for a unique Scottish twist.
Cakes, biscuits and buns from Northern Ireland
Fifteens
This no-bake sweet treat is created from crushed biscuits, marshmallows, glace cherries and condensed milk – combined, rolled, covered in desiccated coconut and chilled before slicing into heavenly disks of crunchy perfection.
Barmbrack
Irish Barmbrack is a type of bread with sultanas and raisins. It is a traditional snack at Halloween, at which time a ring is placed inside the bread with the recipient being considered to be lucky. Often served toasted with butter, it’s delicious washed down with a cup of tea.
Porter Cake
An Irish delicacy made with Porter Ale, Porter cake also combines dried fruit and flavourful spices to create a fruit cake with bitter notes, often enjoyed on St Patrick’s Day or during the festive season.
Whiskey Cake
Another Irish fruit cake, this time steeped in whiskey, Whiskey Cake is enjoyed on special occasions, or whenever a sweet slice is needed with a cuppa. A whiskey-based glaze finishes off this boozy cake.
Cakes, biscuits and buns from Wales
Welsh Cakes
Possibly the most well-known delicacy from Cymru, Welsh cakes are a spiced, sweet bread, comparable to a thick pancake or a soft biscuit. Incorporating currents and traditionally cooked on a bakestone over an open fire, they can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Aberffraw Biscuit
These pretty, scallop-shaped biscuits are thought to have originated from 13th-century Anglesey. As legend goes, a Welsh king requested that a shell-shaped biscuit be made for his wife after finding one on the beach at Aberffraw. Or maybe they were based on the shell-shaped badges of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela? Whatever their origins, these yummy shortbread biscuits are delicious with a lovely cup of tea.
Bara Brith
A fruit tea loaf, Bara Brith is a lovely Welsh treat, whose name is derived from the Welsh for ‘speckled bread’. The moist cake with dried fruit is best consumed a few days after making, to allow the flavours to become rich and delicious.
Cakes, biscuits and buns from the North of England
Kendal Mint Cake
Very different to the other baked goods on our list, Kendal Mint Cake is synonymous with adventure, being the snack of choice to keep the energy up on treks, and mountain climbs, including the first successful summit of Mount Everest in 1953. Simply made of sugar, glucose, water and peppermint oil, it has a grainy consistency and comes in a bar.
Eccles Cakes
Found in many a British bakery, Eccles Cakes are named after the English town of the same name, in the county of Greater Manchester. The round, flat flaky pastry treat has a currant filling, and like many of the bakes above, goes very well with a cup of tea.
Pepper Cake
The Westmorland Pepper Cake takes its name from the Jamaican Pepper, an allspice which originally gave it its flavour. It combined traditional British ingredients with imported spices, resulting in a fruit cake with a distinctive taste. Pepper, black, treacle, ground cloves and ginger are typical ingredients, mixed with dried currants and raisins.
Goosnargh Cake
This peculiarly named cake comes from the Lancashire village of the same name. A traditional Easter bake, they are studded with caraway seeds, and are actually biscuits with a shortbread-type texture.
Yorkshire Curd Cakes/Chissicks
Originally made from curds left over from the cheese-making process, a Yorkshire Curd Cake is a baked cheesecake flavoured with currants, allspice and, on occasion, rosewater, originating from Yorkshire (no surprise there).
Tea Cakes
Tea cakes vary from place to place, and are not to be confused with Tunnock’s Tea Cakes (see above), which are an entirely different kettle of fish. Yorkshire tea cakes, to take one example, are a yeast-based bun, studded with dried fruits like sultanas or currants. They are served sliced in half, toasted, with a slathering of butter.
Liverpool Tart
This lemon and pastry delight has been enjoyed in Liverpool homes for many decades. The tart is often topped with an aesthetic design, sometimes a Liver bird as a nod to the city from whence it hails.
Bakewell Tart
A shortcrust pastry base with a spongy almondy middle, drizzled with lacy icing or sprinkled with flaked almonds, this yummy dessert is now popular across the whole of the UK, having emerged from the Derbyshire town of Bakewell.
Parkin
Traditionally eaten to mark the first day of winter, Parkin is baked with warming ginger and black treacle. There aren’t many simple pleasures which will create core memories more than munching on a block of Parkin in front of the bonfire while fireworks illuminate the sky.
Fat Rascal
This scone-like cake with a rather insulting name originated from the Yorkshire region in the 19th century. They are rather like a rock cake, and thanks to Betty’s Tearooms are often decorated with a face made of cherries and almonds.
Grasmere Ginger Shortbread
Spicy and sweet in equal measure, Grasmere Ginger Shortbread, or Grasmere Gingerbread, as it is also known, is a cake-like biscuit, or a biscuit-like cake. Its firm, yet crumbly texture make it a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of coffee.
Cakes, biscuits and buns from the South of England
London Bun
A square, yeast-based bun, the London bun features currants and candied peel, with a topping of powdered icing sugar, or crystallised sugar. These sticky, plump treats are also known as London Bath Buns, thought to have been first served during the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Lardy Cake
Once made for special celebrations, and now consumed whenever and wherever the mood takes you, Lardy Cakes are spiced, yeasted and sweetened bakes filled with currents, and, as the name suggests, enriched with lard.
Saffron Cake
Saffron Cake is a Cornish delicacy, consumed at teatime with lashings of butter or clotted cream. Decadently flavoured with saffron, which also gives the cake its yellow appearance, Saffron Cake is baked with yeast, and needs proving for hours before baking.
Scones
Thought to have originated in Scotland, but now very much synonymous with the West Country, scones are arguably the most popular choice of cake for afternoon tea, particularly in Devon and Cornwall. In Devon, they’re eaten with cream topped with jam, while in Cornwall, the jam goes on before the cream. There are many variations, including fruit scones with currants, or savoury cheese scones.
Victoria Sandwich
Cream and jam sandwiched between light layers of sponge and sprinkled with sifted icing sugar, the Victoria Sandwich is a firm British favourite. As the name suggests, Queen Victoria was an ardent fan too, and once you’ve tried this light and delicious cake, it’s hard not to agree with her.
Bath Buns
A yeast-dough bun which is airy and delicious, Bath Buns are thought to have been Jane Austen’s favourite bun. They’re not the same as Sally Lunn’s buns, another famous bun of Bath origin – they are small and sweet topped with sugar and fruit.
Chelsea Buns
Originating from the Chelsea area of West London, these spiral, yeast-dough buns are topped with currants and brought to a shine with brown sugar and butter. For over 100 years they have been a common sight on bakery shelves.
Doughnuts
While most often linked to American culture, the origins of the humble doughnut are remarkably ambiguous, with Britain staking a claim to them too. Baroness Elizabeth Dimsdale of Hertford was the first Brit to have mentioned such a cake…but wherever they’ve come from, these delicious, deep-fried treats are here to stay.
Cornish and Devonshire Splits
Another baked good whose origins are contentious is the Cornish/Devonshire Split, although this time the debate is across counties, rather than countries. The puffy, bread-like rolls are made with milk, split almost in two, and served with a filling of jam and cream.
God’s Kitchels
In the past, God’s Kitchels were cakes given to god children when they asked for blessing. The triangular-shaped pastry is packed with mincemeat and is also known as a Godcake – a traditional and easy-to-make delicacy of Coventry.
Shrewsbury Biscuits
A classic, lemony biscuit with currants, the Shrewsbury biscuit is buttery and delicious, and it’s hard just to have one!
Maidstone Biscuits
Round, thick and crunchy, Maidstone biscuits’ key ingredients are rose water and almonds. There are many recipes for this Kentish favourite, but they’re generally easy to make and will certainly fill a hole when you’ve got a craving for something sweet.
Tottenham Cake
Tottenham Cake is a bright and garish traybake, created in the 1800s as a sweet and affordable treat for children. A light, basic sponge is topped with pink icing and desiccated coconut, creating an instantly recognisable cake which has even featured on the BBC’s popular TV series, The Great British Bake Off.
Now, somewhere to stay?
Enjoy these tasty British treats in some equally delightful quintessentially British locations with a stay in one of our UK cottages. Tuck into your cream tea in Cornwall, or munch on a tasty Welsh cake in colourful Tenby. Wherever you head for your UK break, a traditional delicacy will never be far away.
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