Rock Cakes Recipe
Janette Fuschi | Culinary GingerRock Cakes are a sweet and simple snack. Everyone who tries them loves them, and you will too!
Rock cakes are British, scone-like cakes (also known as rock buns) that are popular to enjoy with afternoon tea. A very simple mix of flour, sugar and butter with added allspice, nutmeg and currants make these, light, crumbly tea-time treats delicious when warm from the oven, spread with softened butter.
So-called because of their similarity in appearance to a rock, rock cakes were promoted by the British Government’s Ministry of Food during World War II. They used less eggs and sugar than normal cakes and this helped with food rationing. And since they were very cheap to make, they could feed a large family a lovely treat.
Rock cakes are simply flavored with allspice and nutmeg and are usually dotted with currants but just like scones, any dried fruit can be used.
I remember fondly my Nana would always have a cake tin full of these for whenever we dropped by, and of course the kettle was always boiling to make that comforting cup of tea to serve with them.
My preference is eating them with softened butter to let the spice flavors shine. You can always spread them with jam and of course, the ever-popular clotted cream.
People will know rock cakes these days from the Harry Potter novels and books. They are one of Harry’s favorite tea-time treats, fed to him by Hagrid.
Of course, they were not well received by Harry, since Hagrid seemed to take the name literally and made them hard as rocks by over-baking and almost breaking Harry’s tooth.
This is not the case with these rock cakes. If you try one right out of the oven, you’ll experience a slightly crispy exterior give way to a warm, soft interior dotted with sweet currants just waiting to receive the butter. Just like Nana used to make.
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Rock Cakes Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling the tops
- Whole Nutmeg, freshly grated (to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
- 4 ounces Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup Dried Currants, or other dried fruit
- 2 large Eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup Cold Milk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugar, nutmeg and allspice.
- Add the butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the currants, eggs and milk. Mix to form a stiff batter and all the flour is absorbed.
- Drop palm-size mounds of the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Sprinkle the tops with sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden.
- Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Recommended
- Published:
- Modified:
- Author:
- Janette Fuschi
- Cooking Method:
- Baking
- Cuisine:
- British
- Category:
- Desserts
- Tags:
- British, Baking, Baked, Cakes, Desserts, Snacks, Family Meals and Snacks, Raisins
- Related Recipes:
- British Recipes, Baking Recipes, Baked Recipes, Cake Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Snack Recipes, Family Meals and Snack Recipes, Raisin Recipes
- Recipe Yields:
- 12 Rock Cakes
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Total Time:
- Related Post:
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Published:
Author: Janette Fuschi
Recipe Yields: 12 Rock Cakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
