Which is the tastiest Protestant traybake?

[FiddleFaddleDingDong]

NI Protestants are famed for their tray bakes but which is the best traybake of all?

I’m thinking something crunchy and chocolatey, a tiffin like thing. But are there unchocolatey traybakes that I just haven’t been exposed to? Are they keeping all the best recipes to themselves, strictly to be eaten behind closed doors?

And does it get a bit competitive? Does Annie cast aspersions on Doris’ traybaking abilities?

Teacakes are gooey marshmallow stuff on a biscuit base, covered in chocolate

I am product of Irish Catholic and CofE so am completely ignorant of NI protestant culture, but I recognise lots of these traybakes from relatives in NE Scotland (Presbyterian)

“Teacakes are gooey marshmallow stuff on a biscuit base, covered in chocolate”

Yes plus also the fruit bun that I would call a toasted teacake a bit like a large flat hot cross bun without the cross (and it needs toasting)

Someone talking about flapjacks somewhere up thread. I was reading it backwards but my fire is temperamental and I've lost it again. Do you mean flakemeal biscuits? Confused the visiting English in-laws who said they were like flapjacks but not the same. Is there an Norn Iron flapjack?

@hotchocdrinker Yes, the scones! My favourite was date and wheaten. I used to buy a warm one with fresh butter on my way into work near the City Hall in my early 20s. I'd love one now....

Tunnocks are teacakes.
Fairy cakes are wee buns like.

Thanks for the classics nominations. We'll put this thread before the committee. Have to say, you can't beat a good traybake, a slice of donkey's lug and a pint of Harp on a Saturday afternoon.

Another vote for fifteens here - but I recently made rocky road using biscoff spread and it was heaven.

Oh oh what about shah biscuits? Spicy biscuits, lovely.

German bisciuis, with jam in the middle and icing with a jelly jubjub on top.
I need to go to the bakers..

Hah, this is hilarious. My mother is from Belfast, Protestant and can’t cook or bake anything except one amazing traybake!

Thank you @YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet. It's clearly a very important thread and we need it preserved

Oh I would love if this thread meant @Cocolepew was reunited with her gran's (luscious) sounding orange sponge!

Someone linked to this up thread but I thought I'd post an extract. It's from the Ulster Fry website - 'Pope admits Protestants make better traybakes'

In an exclusive interview with The Ulster Fry, the pontiff explained that Vatican historians had been studying the works of Martin Luther, and have decided that he may have had a point after all.

“It seems that when he nailed his 95 Theses to that door in Wittenberg, it was actually a list of traybake recipes which would have revolutionised religious catering forever.”

“We could have been eating delicious things like Fifteens, Caramel Squares, Rocky Roads and Flies’ Graveyards – instead we were stuck with the Diet of Worms

I stuck in bed with pleurisy atm Fiddle but I'm definitely giving it a go when I'm up and about again.

Would you take a wee cup of tea now?

As a west of Scotland proddy of Irish Catholic origin I didn't know that there was a Catholic/Protestant split in NI as regards baking but equally it doesn't surprise me at all

Actually, I have a protestant baking question that's bothered me for years. My mother (who inherited a lot of her sensibilities from my granny who was in the Orange Order) has a thing against hot cross buns. I once got right into bother for accepting a hot cross buns from my auntie (dad's side of the family naturally) and my mother wouldn't tell me why. Is this another one of these things like alcohol, saying RIP, all the good hymns and (I shit you not) putting your line on at William Hill - stuff that proper protestants don't do?

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams - could you share your mocha buttercream recipe pretty please? I am a sucker for anything coffee flavoured.

When I was younger, 'buns' were 'buns' and were often iced with a thin layer or hard white icing (made from water the icing sugar) with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top.

They are so easy to make I wonder is that where the Ulster expression 'wee buns' comes from?

They are sometimes known as 'fairy cakes' or now even cupcakes - though cupcakes have massive amounts of soft buttercream icing and are rank.

My in laws are supposedly Catholic and they always have Schloer at Christmas.
Do you think they might be closet Protestants ?

@Cocolepew - are the German biscuits you describe similar to Empire biscuits (shortbread rounds sandwiched with jam, topped with glacé icing and a jelly tot or half a glacé cherry)?

And baps buns

Yum. Belfast bap stuffed with tayto crisps. drool 🤤

A cross in the bread like in a hot cross bun (and in a loaf of Irish brown bread) is probably seen by the hardcore devout as being too Catholic. I know in Cromwell's England crosses in bread was frowned upon as being papist (he frowned on all the fun stuff to be fair).

@hotchocdrinker I am a total scone devotee (a sconnoisseur, if you will 🙄) and where I live in NI we are completely spoiled with coffee shops peddling all sorts of delicious scones - the now ubiquitous raspberry and white chocolate, but I’ve also had sticky toffee pudding scones and raspberry ruffle bar scones - the latter heated up are like crack.

The Bay Tree in Holywood makes cinnamon scones which I would easily commit all sorts of unmentionable offences to get my hands on.

And on the flipside my dad says my granny wouldn't allow mince pies in the house as they were far too English.

Poor old cakes. Lightning rods for religious prejudice!

Wheaten and date scones are good, cinnamon scones are also good.

But my favourite have to be white chocolate and raspberry scones. Can you get those in England?