Yorkshire Fat Rascals

Lots of people who see the title of this post will automatically think of Betty’s Tea-Room in York which is famous for its fat rascals; I’d not heard of them before we went to York this weekend, but when we went for a cup of tea at Betty’s, I had to sample one.

A fat rascal from Betty’s is a very large, curranty, cherry-y, almondy little cake, which to me tasted very like a rock cake. I did a little research on them and actually found a recipe in an old Yorkshire cookery book. I discovered that I had been eating a family version of fat rascals for years when I was little, and in fact made some for my own children when they were little! originally fat rascals were the left overs from making pastry (or scones) pulled together with extra currants and sugar and rolled out and cut or shaped into buns and cooked. They were always a bit leathery, and if I had helped Mum make them when I was a child, or my children had helped me when they were little, they were very leathery with all the pummeling little hands do when baking!

Betty’s recipe is secret of course, but other recipes I’ve seen have the basic ingredients of flour – plain or self-raising, baking powder, butter, sugar and dried fruit and sometimes sour cream or cream or milk, candied peel, egg yolk, spices, zest of lemons/oranges/clementines… the variations are endless. Some seem more like scones, some like rock cakes, some almost like biscuits, but the ideas were all based on the same basic ingredients.

It’s claimed the fat rascals were invented in 1834, that may have been the first time they were sold as such but surely mums and children must have been making these sort of things from leftover baking sessions for generations and generations. back in the old days before there were domestic ovens, they were a sort of turf cake, a cake cooked in a covered tin put into the ashes of the fire. Apparently Betty’s has patented the name, but I can’t quite understand how they can since they’ve only been in business since 1919; there are six ‘Betty’s’ in Yorkshire,  so lots of opportunities to visit!

here is the recipe I found in my old book; it sounds more like a pastry than a cake as it has no raising agent, and just uses plain flour:

• 1 lb plain flour
• 8 oz butter
• 4 oz currants
• 2 oz brown sugar
• a little milk mixed with water
• salt
• icing sugar to dust

1. rub the butter and flour together, add the currants, sugar and salt
2. mix in only enough milk and water to make a ‘slack’ dough
3. roll out to ½ inch thick, cut into large rounds and dust with icing sugar
4. put on a greased baking tray and bake in a moderate oven until lightly browned – I guess 15-20 minutes although the recipe doesn’t specify!
5. cool on a rack but eat while still slightly warm

Until I have tried making these I don’t know if they are best eaten with butter… I guess they probably are!

Teacakes and tea at Betty’s!