Traditional English cakes and bakes

English cakes and bakes include anything from fruit cake to pastries, biscuits to crumble pudding and are perfect for dessert or served along with a cup of tea.

One of the key ingredients used in many English baking recipes is dried fruit. Britain has a good variety of dried fruits including glacé cherries, raisins, currants, sultanas and dried mixed peel. They are versatile ingredients and have a good shelf life. Whether you are making Eccles cakes, rock cakes, mince pies, Christmas cake, hot cross buns or fruit loaf they are certainly going to be among your list of ingredients.

Honey and golden syrup are also common pantry ingredients. Golden syrup is traditionally used in recipes such as brandy snaps and flapjacks but honey can be substituted instead.

Ground spices are also used in many English recipes. Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and ground mixed spice are often used to complement the flavours of dried or fresh fruits. Use spices for carrot cake, fruit crumble, Christmas cake and more.

Several cakes and pastries are named after the town or area where they originate such as Eccles cakes and Bakewell tart. There are also Chorley cakes, Chelsea buns, Yorkshire parkin, Bath buns, and more. They can be made the traditional way but many variations exist too.

And when it comes to summer and autumn the English like to make the most of seasonal fruits. Crumble pudding is a classic dessert and is often made using summer or autumn fruits such as apples, pears, rhubarb, gooseberries or plums. This versatile recipe can be made using either fresh, frozen or tinned fruits. And when Bramley apples are in season they are perfect for making baked apples. They can be prepared in just a few minutes and taste great too.

I have chosen only a selection of popular English cakes and bakes to give you a taste, but there are many more for you to try including Victoria sponge, Battenberg cake, custard pie, scones, Swiss roll and crumpets to name just a few.

Why not take a look to see which you would like to try first. Then pop the kettle on and enjoy a slice of one of these iconic English bakes along with a cup of tea.

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