These are the Rock Cakes of my childhood. The ACTUAL Rock Cakes of my childhood and I am very, very pleased with myself. They are light, sweet, terribly moreish and bring back a whole load of wonderful filling my face memories. These were the cakes that my Nan always had in her tin and even when they had a been in there a while and developed a bit of the taste of the tin, they were still incredibly good.
Rock Cakes are not something you usually find anywhere these days. They are not in the cake aisle or the tea room display cabinet and I cannot think of one reason why. Why a fruit scone or a tea cake or a eccles cake and not a rock cake? Why people why?……. I think I have discovered a national tragedy in the making.
But first some shower shame…..
On our annual summer holiday I made somewhat of a twit of myself. “No………not you Jenny!” I hear some proclaim. I’m afraid I so did……. By the time the last few days of our holiday came I had had it up to my turkey wattle neck with pulling damn wet suits on and off chilly children, especially in flipping cold car parks.
I was well and truly sick of it…..What idiot designed the stupid things? Certainly not an older woman. I am sure it was some brawny fool in the prime of their life, someone with the strength of two men, the patience of a saint, and definitely someone without a bad back. For the love of God what a carry on.
I honestly cannot believe we can make it into space but are unable to design something sea worthy that isn’t a gimp suit….another National crisis if you ask me.
Anyways picture this, a girl child with a slightly too small, damp wet suit and a frazzled, past her physical best, woman running late for an indoor surf lesson.
Hurrying into the changing rooms, the girl child becomes horrified at the communal changing area as she knows from bitter experience that she has to be pummeled, jiggled and generally hurled around in order to get that ridiculous monster zip to actually do up.
Fearing humiliation amongst her already dressed peers she indicates a shower cubicle that she would like to get dressed in. Rolling her eyes in a dramatic fashion, the woman says, “Fine, let’s go!”
The woman goes in first and waits until it is time to start hurling the poor child around. Upon the very first hurl she triggers the AUTOMATIC shower but is unable to move away because the child is in front of her and the door is latched shut.
By the time the latch is released and the swearing has stopped, the woman is soaked through, the hair, the make up, the pants.
The child is now even more mortified in front of her peers and the woman is super mortified as she HAS to emerge from the changing rooms and walk past all the cool surfers and organised adults to her hysterical husband………
Rock Cakes Baby
This recipe is so damn easy peasy. Just a few ingredients.
Rock Cake ingredients
Simply rub the butter, flour, sugar, mixed spice, baking powder and salt together until it gets sandy. I do this either in my free standing mixer with paddle attachment or food processor but seeing as it’s all about the retro here then feel free to rub in the old fashioned way.
Rock Cake Breadcrumbs
I then tip in one beaten egg and 75 grams of raisins. In my childish opinion it needs to be raisins as that is the dried fruit that my Nan used, but you could use any dried fruit that fills your retro soul with joy.
I mix it together with a wooden spoon. Keep going until it comes together like cookie dough and you can’t see any flour left in the mixture. It does appear like it is too dry at first but keep stirring. Magic.
Rock Cake Dough
I then make into 9 balls with a couple of spoons or just my hands. Keep them high and push them together a bit to stop the mixture from unfurling in the heat.
I use a full size flat baking tray with a reusable liner. I make 9 of the cake dough balls. Space them apart as they spread. Bake at 180 C for about 15 minutes until they are slightly golden brown. Leave for a couple of minutes on the tray before carefully moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Rock Cakes
Rock Cake Tips
- Use an independent oven thermometer. Temperatures vary greatly in your oven no matter what your oven tells you.
- Add your favourite dried fruits.
- Store in an air tight container.
- Rock Cakes are at their best eaten in 48 hours after baking.
- Freeze on the day of baking wrapped in silver foil or cling film and then in a freezer bag or tupperware container for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours still wrapped
- Make these cakes gluten free by exchanging the plain flour for gluten free. You may have to add a splash of milk because the gluten free flour tends to absorb more moisture.
Equipment Required
- Digital Scales
- Oven Thermometer (optional)
- Large Mixing Bowl/Food Processor/Free Standing Mixer
- Wooden Spoon
- Large Flat Baking Tray with liner. I use a reusable silicone liner but baking paper works too.
- Cup or Jug for beating egg in.
- Fork or small whisk
- Small bowl for measuring raisins into.
- Wire rack.
Rock Cakes
This easy recipe for rock cakes is delicious and a real crowd pleaser. Light and fruity these are a great treat or snack.
Ingredients
- 200 grams plain flour
- 100 grams unsalted butter cold
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 75 grams raisins
Instructions
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Pre heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Weigh out the flour and cut up the butter into 2 cm chunks. Put the butter in with the flour. I use either a free standing mixer or food processor but you can simply use a large mixing bowl.
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Using your paddle attachment or food processor rub the flour and butter together until it forms sandy breadcrumbs. This takes about a minute for the mixer and about 10 seconds with the food processor. Alternatively rub the mixture together with your fingers for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the dry ingredients apart from the raisins after rubbing in if you are doing it by hand and if you are using the food processor then you can just chuck it all in together.
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Pour in the beaten egg and raisins and using a wooden spoon mix the mixture until you can see no more flour and the mixture has become a dough. It will appear too dry at first but keep going. You will have to tip the breadcrumbs out of the food processor and into a mixing bowl for this stage.
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Make 9 cake mixture balls on a lined large baking tray. Leave space for them to spread. I use a spoon and squash them together a little too to prevent the mixture unfurling in the oven. You want to preserve a craggy look so don't roll into smooth balls.
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Bake for about 15 minutes and golden brown. Don't let them colour too much at the edges. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes on the tray before using a flat spatula or fish slice to remove them to a wire rack for cooling.
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Apply To Back In The Day Face
Recipe Notes
- Use an independent oven thermometer. Temperatures vary greatly in your oven no matter what your oven tells you.
- Add your favourite dried fruits.
- Store in an air tight container.
- Rock Cakes are at their best eaten in 48 hours after baking.
- Freeze on the day of baking wrapped in silver foil or cling film and then in a freezer bag or tupperware container for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours still wrapped
- Make these cakes gluten free by exchanging the plain flour for gluten free. You may have to add a splash of milk because the gluten free flour tends to absorb more moisture.
Try some more stupidly easy bakes.
Chocolate Brownies
Flapjacks
Do comment below. I love a good hairy chinwag.
I have linked this post with #CookBlogShare over at Chipa By The Dozen.
Oohhh I always loved a rock cake too Jen 😋the best story too 😭😭😭
I’ll make some for next time girlfriend 🐽