Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Grease the baking sheet with butter.
To make the filling, melt the butter in the saucepan and stir in the flour and spices. Keep stirring over a low heat for a minute or two.
Remove from the heat and add the currants, sugar, brandy and lemon juice and mix together well. Set aside.
To make the pastry sift the flour and salt into the large mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into very small chunks, add them to the bowl and stir them in.
Add the cold water and bring together to a loose dough with a lumpy consistency.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place the dough on a work surface and shape into a rectangular block.
Roll the dough to a rectangle three times longer than it is short, keeping the edges straight and even. The rolled-out pastry should have a marbled effect from the lumps of butter.
Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up over that.
Give it a quarter turn and roll out again to the original sized rectangle.
Repeat the folding, turning and rolling out 3 more times or until the marbling effect has disappeared. Fold once more and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place the chilled dough onto the floured surface and roll out to about 3mm thick.
Using the pastry cutter make 12 rounds and lay them on the work surface. Make sure you cut the pastry rounds as close to each other as possible. It is not possible to use offcuts of pastry to make more, as bringing them into a ball to roll out will lose the lamination of the puff pastry.
Place a tablespoon of filling on top of 6 of the rounds and wet the edges with a little water with your fingertips.
Place the remaining rounds on top of the filling and use your fingers to press down firmly to make sure the filling doesn’t seep out during cooking.
It is likely that by pressing down to secure the top to the bottom, you end up with raggedy edges. Place the pastry cutter over the cake and press down to return it to a perfect circle.
Fold the flat, pressed edges underneath the cakes.
Roll the cakes out very gently in one direction, creating oval shaped cakes.
Use a sharp knife to score three slits into the top of the cakes.
Brush the tops with milk and scatter caster sugar over them.
Place the cakes on the baking sheet, put in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
