Saint Patrick's Cakes

Saint Patrick's Cakes is a traditional Irish recipe for a classic tea-time mini sponge cake, today baked as cupcakes that are topped with white glacé icing and decorated with a green shamrock in honour of St Patrick. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Irish version of: Saint Patrick's Cakes.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Makes:

Rating:

Tags : Baking Recipes Cake Recipes Irish Recipes

These iced Victorian sponge cakes are coloured green and were traditionally baked in three-cornered tins to represent shamrocks. Originally the icing (frosting) for making the shamrock would have been coloured with parsley or spinach greening, but this can impart a bitter note, so I am using green food colouring in this version of the recipe.

However, if you absolutely must have authenticity, then here are recipes to make your own spinach greening (the same recipe also works for parsley greening).

Ingredients:

120g butter
120g caster sugar
2 eggs
120g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
white glacé icing, to cover the cakes
a little green food colouring

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs to a bowl and beat over a pan of warm water until light and fluffy. Add to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition.

Sift together the flour and baking powder then fold into the creamed mixture until you have an even batter.

Line tartlet tins with 12 mini cupcake cases and divide the batter between them. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 190°C (375°F, Gas Mark 5) and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cakes are nicely risen, golden brown on top and springy to the touch.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool before icing.

Prepare the white glacé icing and reserve a little. Use the remaining white icing to cover the tops of the cakes. Now colour the reserved icing green, spoon into a piping bag and pipe a shamrock shape on top of each cake. Allow the icing to harden a little before serving.