Found in bakeries all over Yorkshire, fat rascals are a cross between a scone and a rock cake, but tend to be slightly richer than both.
Ingredients
- 350 g12¼ oz plain flour
- 1½ rounded tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g3½ oz unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
- 100 g3½ oz caster sugar
- 80 g2¾ oz raisins
- 50 g1¾ oz sultanas
- 50 g1¾ oz candied peel, diced
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 80 ml2¾ fl oz soured cream
- 1 egg
- 50 ml1¾ fl oz milk
To decorate:
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 8 glacé cherries
- 24 slivered almonds
Method: How to make Fat rascals
Preheat the oven to 200C/ gas mark 6.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, raisins, sultanas, candied peel and lemon zest.
Lightly beat the soured cream, egg and milk together, add to the mixture and stir together to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board and roll out to about 2cm thick. Cut into rounds about 8cm in diameter, rerolling the trimmings as necessary.
Transfer to a greased baking sheet, spacing them well apart, brush with the beaten egg then decorate each one with two cherry halves and three slivered almonds. Traditionally they are used to make a face: cherries for eyes and almonds for teeth.
Put the fat rascals in the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. The fat rascals will keep for 2-3 days.
