Welsh Onion Cake - Lavender and Lovage (2024)

Today’s recipe for Welsh Onion Cake is atraditional Welsh recipe,where the humble potato takes centre stage along with onions and butter.

RECIPE at the END OF THE POST

A Traditional Welsh Recipe

Today’s recipe for Welsh Onion Cake is atraditional Welsh recipe,where the humble potato takes centre stage along with onions and butter.

Welsh Onion Cake, or “teisen winwns”and“teisen nionod”, as it is known in Wales, is classic comfort food that is cheap and easy to make. (If you live in North Wales, where I live, you may know this recipe as “cacon nionod”)

It’s a simple recipe of layered potatoes and onions, with butter, that is baked in a cake tin, or an enamel pie tin, until it is soft, sticky and golden.

It’s usually made as an accompaniment, for sausages, roast meat or roast chicken, but is equally delicious when served as a main meal with salad leaves or even crusty bread.

There are many versions in Wales, some have herbs in them, such as rosemary, parsley or sage, and some also add cheese,usually Caerphilly cheese, to the layers of potatoes and onions.

A Welsh Onion cake falls into the genre of baked potato dishes, that are popular all over the world; such asPommes Annain France, and that other French dish of Gratin Dauphinoise, as well asScalloped Potatoes, the creamy version which is popular in the States.

I expect this recipe was borne of frugality when times were hard, and potatoes and onions were readily available. The butter is a fairly luxurious, and probably modern addition. I am sure housewives in the past would have used dripping in place of butter, or even some stock.

For a recipe with just three ingredients and seasoning, it’s super tasty and very filling too. I made my last Welsh Onion Cake for lunch, and we enjoyed it between the four of us with salad as a main meal.

But, it makes a fabulous side dish for any roast meat or chicken, and once all the slicing has been done and the cake has been layered in the cooking dish, it gently cooks away in the oven for an hour and a half, with no need to baste or turn over etc. So, it is a very forgiving recipe!

Substitutions and Cooking Tips

• Use any baking potatoes such as Maris Piper or Desiree.
• Make sure the potatoes are sliced very thinly, so they cook evenly.
• Add chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage or parsley between the layers.
• Add grated cheese for a richer version between each layer.
• Add chopped chives or wild garlic when they are in season, for an extra onion taste.
• Make this vegan by omitting the butter and using a plant based spread that is suitable for baking. Or, use vegetable stock in place of any fat or oil.

More Welsh Recipes

• Teisen Lap Welsh Cake
• Welsh Rarebit on Crumpets
• Traditional Welsh Cakes

• Welsh Shearing Cake (Cacen Gneifo)
• Welsh Lamb Cornbread Cobbler
• Traditional “Bara Brith” Tea Loaf
• Anglesey Eggs (Ŵyau Ynys Môn)

• Glamorgan Sausages (Selsig Morgannwg)
• Romantic Welsh Griddle Cakes
• Welsh Rarebit Cheese Spread

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More Potato Recipes

• Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin
• Cheese and Potato Pie
• BBQ style Irish Slow Cooked Cheese and Bacon Potatoes in Paper
• Cheesy Stuffed Supper Spuds (Baked Jacket Potatoes) Recipe

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Recipe for Welsh Onion Cake

Welsh Onion Cake

Yield: 4 to 6

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Today's recipe for Welsh Onion Cake is a traditional Welsh recipe, where the humble potato takes centre stage along with onions and butter.

Welsh Onion Cake, or "teisen winwns" and "teisen nionod", as it is known in Wales, is classic comfort food that is cheap and easy to make. (If you live in North Wales, where I live, you may know this recipe as "cacon nionod")

See Also

Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie - Pinch Of Nom

It's a simple recipe of layered potatoes and onions, with butter, that is baked in a cake tin, or an enamel pie tin, until it is soft, sticky and golden.

It's usually made as an accompaniment, for sausages, roast meat or roast chicken, but is equally delicious when served as a main meal with salad leaves or even crusty bread.

There are many versions in Wales, some have herbs in them, such as rosemary, parsley or sage, and some also add cheese, usually Caerphilly cheese, to the layers of potatoes and onions.

A Welsh Onion cake falls into the genre of baked potato dishes, that are popular all over the world; such as Pommes Anna in France, and that other French dish of Gratin Dauphinoise, as well as Scalloped Potatoes, the creamy version which is popular in the States.

I expect this recipe was borne of frugality when times were hard, and potatoes and onions were readily available. The butter is a fairly luxurious, and probably modern addition. I am sure housewives in the past would have used dripping in place of butter, or even some stock.

For a recipe with just three ingredients and seasoning, it's super tasty and very filling too. I made my last Welsh Onion Cake for lunch, and we enjoyed it between the four of us with salad as a main meal.

But, it makes a fabulous side dish for any roast meat or chicken, and once all the slicing has been done and the cake has been layered in the cooking dish, it gently cooks away in the oven for an hour and a half, with no need to baste or turn over etc. So, it is a very forgiving recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and sliced VERY thinly
• 2 large onions, about 500g in weight, peeled and roughly diced
• 125g butter, plus extra for greasing
• Salt and black pepper
• 50g grated Caerphilly cheese, to garnish (Optional)
• Fresh parsley, to garnish

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/Gas mark 6. Butter a 8" (20cm) round cake tin or pie tin generously with butter and line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper.
2. Layer the potatoes and onions in the prepared tin, seasoning with salt, pepper and adding bits of butter between each layer. Finish layering the Welsh Onion Cake with a layer of potatoes.
3. Melt the remaining butter and pour it over the cake.
4. Cover loosely with foil and bake in pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 hours, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, scatter the parsley and cheese over if using, then allow to settle for 10 minutes to make it easier to lift the cake onto a serving plate.
6. Cut into wedges and serve with sausages, roast meat and chicken, or as a main meal with salad.

Notes

Use any baking potatoes such as Maris Piper or Desiree.

Make sure the potatoes are sliced very thinly, so they cook evenly.

Add chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage or parsley between the layers.

Add grated cheese for a richer version between each layer.

Add chopped chives or wild garlic when they are in season, for an extra onion taste.

Make this vegan by omitting the butter and using a plant based spread that is suitable for baking. Or, use vegetable stock in place of any fat or oil.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 to 6Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 564Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 80mgSodium 457mgCarbohydrates 66gFiber 7gSugar 9gProtein 11g