The origins of Wakes Cakes dates back to the 7th century. Wakes days (and later weeks) in Britain were periods of localised celebration in honour of a patron saint of a particular church or parish. It was traditional to keep watch, or ‘wake’, in church on the eve of the dedication day, but over time the wake became an evening of feasting, often in the church-yard.
This gradually degenerated into drunkenness and rowdy celebrations, and increasingly wakes became more secular in character as the churches condemned the behaviour on its premises.
Wake Days became linked eventually with fairs, holiday days, then eventually in the 19th century to short holiday periods for workers in the factory towns of Northern England and Scotland.
Holidays – take your own food
Before 1914, working class people had to be content with the odd day trip or few days unpaid holiday. But in the 1930s legislation was introduced to make a week’s paid holiday compulsory.
Many flocked to the seaside by train or charabanc to West or East Coast resorts, like Blackpool, Scarborough and Morecambe, to stay in guest houses for a week. Although if you had pretensions for the posher side of the tracks, you might go to the more genteel Yorkshire resort of Filey, or Lancashire resort of Southport.
The less affluent, to save on money, took as much food with them as they could carry, including Wakes Cakes. These cakes were rich in butter to preserve them over a longer period. They were also cooked into large thin rounds to make storage in luggage or food trunks easier.
Every mill town had its own version of Wake Cakes, with their own blend of ingredients, but this rich, plain recipe originates from the Yorkshire/Lancashire border and is typical of many. It dates from the late 19th century.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225g) plain flour
- 6 oz (170g) butter
- 1 egg, well beaten
- milk (to mix)
- A good cupful mixed dried fruit (about 4oz/113g)
- 3 – 4oz (75-113g) white sugar
- Mix flour and salt, rub in butter, add sugar and dried fruit.
- Mix to a stiff dough with beaten egg, add a little milk if necessary
- Knead the dough lightly, then roll to the thickness of a coin (about an eighth of an inch)
- Cut into rounds the size of a small saucer – approx. 5″ in diameter
- Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes, or until golden.
- Cool, then sprinkle with sugar
- Enjoy! Will keep for a few weeks if wrapped in foil.
You can find variations to the basic ingredients around Lancashire and Yorkshire, according to the mill town. Other recipes can include:
- ground almonds
- caraway seeds
- discreet amounts of spices, like nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
- brandy or rum soaked dried fruit
- lemon peel
But the basic recipe shown in this article is typical of most Wakes Cakes in the region.
One Response to Wakes Cakes
interesting -m’thanks for a real history lesson!