Old fashioned bacon cakes recipe

If we’re having a fry up, or need a fast alternative tea, we’ll quite often make bacon cakes. Admittedly it’s usually the OH who makes them. But the latest time he wasn’t around and I mixed them up and cooked them. But what are bacon cakes (they’re certainly not what I find on google – cakes with bacon in).

Not like Welsh poncos which are like pancakes, with a raising agent and egg in too.

They’re not brummie bacon cakes – which are like scones with bacon in

Bacon cakes aren’t something I had as a child, but from the OH’s side of the family, they’re something that they would have when cooking a simple fry up. Or breakfast for dinner.  They’re an old fashioned recipe, only needing 2 ingredients. Ingredients that pretty much everyone has at home. And they’re made and cooked in no time at all making them super convenient.

Now I couldn’t find the recipe amounts anywhere online, or in cook books. So it’s definitely a make by look and practice.  I decided that I’d actually write down the recipe rather than being in people’s heads. So I decided to share the recipe in case others wanted to try them.

What are bacon cakes?

Bacon cakes aren’t an actual cake. I suppose the nearest food would be potato cakes. Or possibly a simple pancake. 

They’re made from just self raising flour and milk. You can season the batter if you want. Although we tend to just add seasoning at the table to taste. The name comes from cooking them in the bacon fat in a pan, after you’ve fried the bacon. So yes, it’s not a fully healthy meal. But then, when was a fry up a healthy meal?

The bacon cakes, or patties, absorb the flavours from the bacon fat, so you want to use the best quality bacon you can. We tend to use smoked streaky bacon, and cook them in a little butter.  Have a plate with some kitchen paper to absorb some of the excess grease and keep the bacon warm while you cook the bacon cakes.

Making bacon cakes

They really are simple to make, although you will need to eye ball the ingredients until you get the right consistency (my first round weren’t as smooth as they should have been but they still tasted good).  Assume 1 good tablespoon of flour for each potato cake you’re making. I tend to have one with my meal, N and the OH tend to have two.

Then add milk and beat in until you’ve got it a smooth but thick dropping consistency. It looks a bit like wallpaper paste to me, although a little thicker than that. 

Then drop tablespoons of the batter into a frying pan over mid heat, after you’ve cooked bacon, leaving the remaining fat in in the pan.

You just drop in a spoon of batter and cook on one side for a few minutes. Then once browning, flip over with a slice to cook the other side until cooked through.

You don’t want them really thick and high otherwise they’ll still be doughy inside. But you won’t want them really flat like griddle scones. A bit in the middle.

If you don’t have much fat from your bacon, just add a little more butter or some oil to prevent them from sticking the pan. They shouldn’t, as long as you don’t faff around with them.

Once browned on both sides and cooked through, serve them with your fry up.  I have them plain, just with a bit of runny egg yolk with them. But ketchup, or another condiment of your choice will work well.

If you’ve got something to keep your bacon warm in, these cook in the same pan, so you can potentially save on washing up. If you’re cooking eggs afterwards, keep these warm on a plate with the bacon.

The bacon cakes take on the flavour of the bacon, so they’re really tasty, and are an alternative to pancakes or hashbrowns. And very low cost because they’re only 2 ingredients that most homes have.

Ingredients

• 1tbsp per bacon cake wanted – self raising flour
• Enough milk (ideally whole milk) to create a smooth batter
• Remaining fat from cooking bacon – oil or butter to your preference

Method:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl put 1 tablespoon of flour for each bacon cake you’re serving. Assume 1-2 per person.
2. Add milk gradually and mix until you’ve got a smooth fairly thick batter.
3. After you’ve cooked bacon in a frying pan, remove the bacon, leaving the fat. Add a little more oil or butter if your pan isn’t very non stick.
4. Dollop 1 tablespoon worth of batter into the pan leaving space inbetween. We can fit 5 in our large pan, but you may need to cook in a couple of batches if you’ve little room to flip the bacon cakes.
5. Once the bottom is starting to brown, flip over and brown the other side, until cooked through.
6. Serve with your fry up – we like bacon, eggs, beans and tomatoes (I have avocados with mine instead of beans).

Let me know how you get on cooking these.