I’d like to pretend someone will remember my post of almost two years ago about fern tarts, but I’m not holding my breath.
Back then I had my first encounter with a fern tart, and as it was a rather unglamourous supermarket version I was hoping to find one in a bakery some time.
Fast-forward to my Maybole sweet treat hunt, and on scanning the shelves in Bakery Bites (11 – 13 High Street, Maybole), I spied an old chum.
“Can I have a fern tart,” I asked the lady behind the counter. She gave me a look.
“Do you mean a fern cake?”
I stammered an affirmative, and that is why this post is called Fern Cakes and not Fern Tarts Revisited.
The taste was as I remembered from the fern tart. Very much a Bakewell tart flavour and texture, with crumbly pastry, unidentifiable red jam, sponge and sweet icing. Pleasant but no great revelation.
However from now on I’ll be calling them fern cakes, just to be on the safe side.
I can’t find a recipe on the whole of the internet for these! A well made one is AMAZING.
Any tips on where to buy the best examples would be appreciated!
Recipes do seem very thin on the ground. I found this one: http://www.grouprecipes.com/14202/fern-cakes.html but it contains ingredients that are harder to come by in the UK so I can’t imagine it is what Scottish bakeries are using.
That recipe is not for Fern Cakes, at all!! I finally posted the real thing: https://www.christinascucina.com/scottish-fern-cakes-a-bakery-classic/
I posted one! https://www.christinascucina.com/scottish-fern-cakes-a-bakery-classic/