Top 6 English Sweet Pastries

Bakewell pudding is a traditional dessert consisting of a pastry base that is filled with fruit jam and a paste made from ground almonds, butter, and eggs. The first Bakewell pudding was created by accident at a local inn around 1860. It is recommended to serve the dish hot and pair it with cream or custard for extra flavor.Expand

Eccles cake is a specialty of the eponymous city in the Greater Manchester region. The dish consists of a crispy puff pastry filled with cinnamon, raisins or currants, and brown sugar, the whole concoction glazed with honey to develop its characteristical golden color. These tasty treats were even outlawed in 1653 due to the Puritan belief that they were pagan. Today, Eccles cakes are fully legal, and it is recommended to pair them with a cup of tea or a bowl of hot porridge.Expand

Banbury cake is a traditional thin pastry filled with fruit and spices, originating from the town of Banbury. The pastry is made with a combination of puff pastry, butter, currants, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, ginger, rose water, beaten egg whites, and a splash of dark rum. Banbury cakes date back to at least the 17th century, when the Knights Templar returned from their crusades and brought over new foods rich in fruit and spices. Nowadays, currants or raisins are a staple of the Banbury cakes' filling, along with grated peel and various spices. These treats are often enjoyed as a part of afternoon tea, but it's also recommended to try them with coffee or ale. Banbury cakes are always oval and hand-sized, and they're often associated with the bakers Brown's.Expand

Bedfordshire's answer to the popular Cornish pasty is called Bedfordshire clanger, an old dish dating back to the 19th century. This delicacy originally started as a boiled suet pudding with a savory meat filling on one end and a sweet fruit filling on the other end. It was a favorite food and a staple of field workers in the 19th century. The word clanger in the name of the dish is believed to refer to the erroneous action of combining sweet and savory fillings in one dish. However, others believe that clanger is derived from the word clang, which means to eat voraciously in Northamptonshire dialect. The savory part usually consists of gammon and potatoes, while the sweet part should be made with fruit jam or stewed apples. This flavorful pastry is traditionally split in the middle, separating the two fillings in the process. Filling and nutritious, Bedfordshire clanger is both a wholesome, nutritious meal and a sweet dessert in only one dish.Expand

Isle of Wight doughnuts are traditional doughnuts originating from the Isle of Wight. The doughnuts are either filled with currants and tied in a knot or filled with apples and shaped in a turnover (half circle). The dough for these doughnuts is often flavored with cinnamon, cloves, mace, allspice, or nutmeg. It's usually made with flour, butter, sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Candied peel and lemon zest can also be added to the dough for extra flavor. In the past, the doughnuts were cooked in lard, and nowadays vegetable oil is more common. Once golden brown, they are drained and dusted with icing sugar.Expand

London cheesecake, despite its name, is not a cheesecake, nor is it from London. This British sweet pastry is made with puff pastry that’s filled with almond cream and a dollop of jam. Once baked, the puff pastry is brushed with icing consisting of icing sugar and water. The tops of the cheesecakes are then dipped into desiccated coconut, which makes the pastry seem like it’s topped with grated cheese, hence the possible name of the dessert. Some say that the original pastry contained cheese curds. London cheesecakes were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but the origins of the pastry are still a mystery. Nowadays, London cheesecakes are widely available in supermarkets and bakery chains.Expand