One of the most popular and beloved treats in Wales is the traditional Welsh cake, a soft scone-like flat round cake that is cooked on a griddle and served hot with a dusting of sugar.
As someone who has a love of food and a sweet tooth, you won't be surprised to find that one of my favourite things to do in Cardiff is to go hunting out the best Welsh cakes. Not all are created equal so I've been tasting Welsh cakes all across Cardiff city centre in search of the true Welsh cake of champions and, in this article, I'll share my findings.
1. Fabulous Welshcakes
At the top of my list, the best Welsh cakes in Cardiff are at Fabulous Welshcakes and cost as little as 60p each.
Fabulous Welshcakes is a shop that specialises in Welsh Cakes. There are two chains in Cardiff, one in the Castle Arcade in the city centre and the other down at Cardiff Bay.
They are freshly made each day and you can ask for them to be warmed up which I would highly recommend doing. The reason I've put these at the top is for the flavour, there was a perfect amount of cinnamon in them whilst the texture was moist and they went down really easily.
I tried the original so that I could accurately compare it with the other bakeries, but they also have chocolate-chip Welsh cakes and vegan or gluten-free options.
2. Cardiff Bakestones at Cardiff Market
Cardiff Bakestones is an iconic stall located inside Cardiff market where you can pick up some freshly baked Welsh cakes along with other baked goods such as cookies, muffins, brownies, and Bara Brith (this is another traditional Welsh food).
The best part about Cardiff Bakestones is that you can see the entire process of making Welsh cakes, from mixing and kneading the dough through to baking them on the griddle. They are always making fresh batches because they are so busy so you can usually get them whilst still warm, or you can ask them to heat some up if not.
I've put them in second place because I did feel that their traditional cakes were a little bland and could do with some more spice, although the texture was perfect. Where they score higher than Fabulous Welsh Cakes is the range of flavours. As well as traditional and chocolate chip Welsh cakes, they also had jam-stuffed, mini, Nutella, lemon, white chocolate chip, and heart-shaped varieties.
3. The Bread Stall at Cardiff Market
The Bread Stall is another stall in Cardiff Market selling Welsh cakes which are insanely good. I actually found them to be very similar to the ones at Cardiff Bakestones in that the texture and moistness were on point but the cinnamon flavour was lacking slightly.
I would still highly recommend them given that the price is similar to Cardiff Bakestones too, but as the name suggests, they specialise in bread so they have a much smaller range of other baked goods so you won't get as many choices when it comes to different flavours and fillings.
Other Welsh Cakes in Cardiff
Just to prove to you that I have been out and about trying all of the Welsh cakes in the capital, here is a list of other places I have visited and a brief review. I will keep this updated as I find more places, please contact me if you have any recommendations.
| Place | Review |
|---|---|
| Pettigrew Tearooms | Pettigrew Tearooms is part of Pettigrew Bakery so I was excited to try their Welsh cakes, but I found them to be very very dense and they just didn't seem worth the cost of £2.50 for 2. They were also served cold despite it being for immediate consumption which I found odd. |
| Norweigan Church Arts Centre | I was recommended the Welsh cakes at Norweigan Church Arts Centre down in Cardiff Bay but unfortunately they no longer sell them here. |
Published: 19 April 2023