Category: Uncategorized

Cookies

The people of Raunds are the best fed village I have ever seen, Virtually every shop offers tempting food. Cookies the baker is a delightful Baker/Cake Shop/Cafe where folk drop in to buy delicious products and gossip with the staff and neighbors in the cafe.

Location                        Raunds

Largest dimension     140mm   A RECORD!

Thickness                      24mm

Weight of cake             120gm   Generous

Colour of crust             Lovely gold with big white sugar crystals

Texture of crust           Melt in the mouth

Interest in crust           Holes and leakage

Colour of base              Pale yellow

Texture of base            Thick and chewy

Thickness of base        up to 8mm

Caramelisation of base   None

Weight of filling            105gm

Nature of filling           Only raisins

Texture of filling          Not bound. Fruit spread due to large size

 

 

Hindley’s

Location     Litchfield

Largest Dimension   92mm

Thickness    31mm

Weight of cake   102gm

Colour of upper crust     Gloriously golden

Interest in upper crust    Huge Interest with large brown sugar crystals

Thickness  of base     4mm May be short crust pastry

Base colour         Mid Brown

Weight of fruit     25gm

Filling           Miserly quantity of currants and raisins huge globs of stewed apple

Caramelisation    None

Eccles Cake Awards 2017

The Awards this year will be announced in 2 phases.

The Regional Champions in Wales and England will be announced at the end of July

The National Champions and Victor Ludorum will be announced in mid August

There will be three categories

Craft Baker

Packaged Cake

Large Store

For details of categories and tests please see web site. www.TheFriendsoftheEcclesCake.co.uk

 

 

 

Gerrards

Location                                 Bala

Largest Dimension             82mm

Thickness                              29mm

Weight of cake                     99gm

Colour of upper crust       Uniform gold with nice crystals

Interest in crust                  Spectacular slits with evidence of fruit escape

Texture of crust                   Perfect. Crisp, crumbly and melts in mouth

Colour of base                     Caught very slightly with slightly glazed edge

Thickness of base              5mm.

Texture of base                   Short crust?

Weight of fruit                     42gm.

Texture of filling                Stickily bonded.

Base caramelisation        Slight on margin of base. Enough to excite!!

Overview

A charming service in gleamingly clean store.

Manderville’s

Location                                 Holmes Chapel

Largest Dimension             120mm !!

Thickness                              24m

Weight of cake                     120gm

Colour of upper crust       Mid brown with tiny white sugar crystals

Interest in crust                  Multiple pierced holes plugged with sugar

Texture of crust                   Nice and crumbly

Colour of base                     Pale brown.

Thickness of base              8mm.

Texture of base                   Short crust

Weight of fruit                     42gm.

Texture of filling                 Tightly bound at all.

Base caramelisation        None.

Overview

A traditional bakery with stylish and attentive service plus other delicious offerings. Not far from J18 M6 and well worth a diversion.

Selfridges

Slowly the pursuit of profit is eating away at this excellent stores fresh offer.

There is a place for sushi – in a cat food factory!

The adoption of a Patisserie Valerie franchise in its Trafford Centre store is deplorable.

One hopes the superb pie and pastry section does not become a Greggs in the near future.

Booths – chain

It beggars belief that a store allegedly offering premier, fresh products does not offer an excellent Eccles Cake when they have the facilities to present and sell them.

The ubiquitous Real Lancashire Eccles Cake is available but this package is no substitute for a freshly baked cake to tempt their discriminating clientele .

Sainsbury

Location                                 Salford, Regent Road

Largest Dimension             81mm

Thickness                              35mm

Weight of cake                     60gm

Colour of upper crust       Pleasant Golden

Interest in crust                  Varied Dual venting with lightly baked                                                                                          on sugar

Thickness of base               6mm – laminated, thin and crisp. Excellent

Weight of fruit                     25gm

Texture of filling                 Ideally bound

Base caramelisation        None

Overview

A sample on a previous visit had the crust explode as it was bitten into. This sample had much to recommend it.

Evans

Location                                 Newtown, Powys

Largest Dimension             120mm

Thickness                              32mm

Weight of cake                     80gm

Colour of upper crust       Mid Gold with leakage

Interest in crust                  Lots! Holes and slits

Thickness of base               3mm strong and firm

Weight of fruit                     40gm

Texture of filling                 Sumptuously bound

Base caramelisation         Sommmmmmmmmmmmmme. Yes.

Overview

This cafe offers a feast of delights, wonderful drinks and the opportunity to watch a HR Culture a little to the right of Attila the Hun.

Deserves to be better known

Chatwins

Location                                 Stoke on Trent

Largest Dimension             94mm

Thickness                              22mm

Weight of cake                     85gm

Colour of upper crust       Pale Sugar outer crust

Interest in crust                  Unique

Thickness of base               6mm – strong and thick

Weight of fruit                     31gm

Texture of filling                 Beautifully bound with plump currants

Base caramelisation         Slightly glazed

Overview

A darker cake would look better but may challenge local conservatism.