Name: Welsh Shearing Cake or Cacen Gneifo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 130g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 130g caster sugar; 2 large eggs; 160g plain/all-purpose flour; 20g corn flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon fine salt; 100g sour cream; 1½ tablespoons caraway seeds; grated zest from 1 medium lemon; 2-3 tablespoons demerara sugar

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Cacen Gneifo is a cake made for farm workers and shearers during the sheep shearing and dipping season. There are many versions throughout the world – in Wales it is a simple yet soft and moist caraway seed cake, sometimes with nutmeg or infused with lemon. Shearing cake in Australia and New Zealand tends to be loaded with dried fruits and I’ve seen other recipes with stewed apples and other cooked fruit. Typically served with tea, during this social and work occasion, this cake needs to be transportable and easy to eat – no fancy frostings or cake forks required!

What does it taste like?

Caraway seeds are quite aromatic, they bring mild aniseed and citrus flavours to the loaf which complements the fresh and zesty lemon. Although the flavours in this cake mirror the traditional recipe, its method is different. Classically the butter is rubbed into the flour, the other dry ingredients are added and then this is brought together by the eggs. The cake is more like a large and light scone, best eaten on the day it is made.

Bake My Day!

I am making this cake to send in the post as another suggestion for ‘Bake My Day’ during these difficult COVID times. It therefore needs to stay fresher for longer. This cake is more like a soft and fluffy sponge cake with added sour cream to keep it moist. It also has a delicious demerara sugar crunchy topping to add texture and to make it reminiscent of the original recipe. Delicious as it is with a cup of tea, it is also wonderful with some salted butter and, if you still have some left in a few days, (which I doubt), it is delicious toasted with butter.

How to make Welsh Shearing Cake or Cacen Gneifo

Collect all the ingredients together:

For the basic cake –

unsalted butter, at room temperature
caster sugar
large eggs
plain/all-purpose flour
corn flour
baking powder
bicarbonate of soda
vanilla extract
fine salt
sour cream
Plus flavourings:
caraway seeds
lemon zest
Topping:
demerara sugar

Make the cake:

It is important that the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If it is a little hard, beat it with a whisk before adding the other ingredients. If it is already quite soft, you do not need to do this.
Measure all the remaining basic ingredients into the mixing bowl with the butter. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything in directly.
Use an electric whisk to beat until combined. This should take less than a minute.
Add the caraway seeds and lemon zest and fold into the cake batter. Be careful not to over-mix at this stage.
Tip into your lined baking tin and level the surface, ensuring the cake goes into all the corners.
Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the surface of the cake.
Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 45 – 55 minutes until cooked.
Remove for the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.