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Bake a delicious old fashioned rock cakes recipe just like your grandma used to make. Made with just a few simple and basic ingredients, this is the perfect British teatime treat.
They are quick and simple to make. The kids will love to help bake them and the whole family will enjoy eating them. Perfect for a quick morning or afternoon snack with a cup of tea!
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Rock cakes are simply one of THE best easy recipes.
It is a typically British recipe and is one of those recipes you probably remember from your childhood.
What do they say. No one bakes as good as your mum or grandma?
It’s simple recipes like this that are truly hard to beat.
They don’t require you to have a million ingredients in your pantry and they don’t take all day to make. They are just quick, simple and HIGHLY DELICIOUS treats that the whole family are going to love.
Plus they don’t take long to cook, which means you can start eating them virtually as soon as you have finished clearing up the kitchen. That’s got to be a good thing right?
Need I say more?
Rock cakes is one of those recipes that my mum has made for as long as I can remember. She literally whips them up and before you know it she is offering you a hot rock cake straight from the oven.
Last week I visited mum, and lo and behold, some rock cakes magically appeared after dad requested some cake. She made them without even blinking and they always taste amazing!
What Is A Rock Cake?
A rock cake can also be known as a rock bun. There isn’t any difference between the two other than purely the name.
The recipe dates back hundreds of years. According to Wikipedia rock cakes were heavily promoted in WWII due to the fact that they require fewer eggs and sugar than normal little cakes.
This was great for rationing and is also great for when you are running low on stock in your pantry!
Traditional recipes would substitute the flour for oatmeal as this was more readily available at the time, so use either according to your preferred taste.
Rock cakes are soft, crumbly and totally delicious.
Why Call Them Rock Cakes?
I must admit, it is a bit of a strange name isn’t it.
Rock cakes arn’t really like a traditional “cake” and they most certainly are not as heavy as actual rocks!
Rock cakes do have a wonderful rugged appearance which is most likely where the name came from.
They might not be the most pleasing on the eye cake, but they make up for it in taste.
Due to the fact that rock cakes look great when they look so messy, also makes them the perfect baking to do with kids.
You can literally throw them together. The more uneven they look the better.
Here is a little bit of trivia for you before I give you the recipe.
Did you know that Harry Potter LOVES his rock cakes?
Hagrid use to always serve them, although these were like rock. The best rock cakes were those made by Mrs Weasley!
So there, you have it. If you are a Harry Potter fan and you havn’t tried rock cakes, now is your chance. You can read your Harry Potter books whilst munching a delicious rock cake.
Ingredients You Will Need For Rock Cakes
Dry Ingredients:
- 200g self-raising flour (or oatmeal)
- 100g margarine
- 100g sugar
- 100g sultanas or currents. or mixed fruit
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 beaten egg
- Splash of milk
Simple Rock Cakes Recipe For The Whole Family
The Best Traditional Rock Cakes Recipe Like Grandma Used To Make
Bake a delicious old fashioned rock cakes recipe just like your grandma used to make. Made with just a few simple and basic ingredients, this is the perfect British teatime treat.
They are quick and simple to make. The kids will love to help bake them and the whole family will enjoy eating them. Perfect for a quick morning or afternoon snack with a cup of tea!
Ingredients
- 200g Self-raising Flour (or oatmeal)
- 100g Margarine
- 100g Sugar
- 100g Sultanas or Currents
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mixed Spice
- 1 Egg
- Splash of Milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C, 400F or Gas mark 6
- Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the margarine. This should resemble fine breadcrumbs between your fingers.
- Stir in the sugar, sultanas and mixed spice.
- Beat the egg with a splash of milk, then mix into the dry mixture to form a stiff dough.
- Place in small rough heaps on a greased baking tray. (If desired you can also sprinkle the tops with sugar).
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes. (Time will slightly vary depending on the size rock cakes you made).
What did I say? This is such an easy recipe right? Everything goes into the one mixing bowl, which means easy cleaning up too!
The humble rock cake tastes absolutely beautiful with a cup of tea. If you taste one straight from the oven, your taste buds will definitely do a happy dance.
Rock Cakes Recipe Variations
Whilst the traditional rock cakes recipe is pretty awesome, there are lots of other things you can try to change them up a bit.
Consider some of the following:
- Instead of using sultanas, substitute for other dried fruit such as cherries, cranberries or coconut. Or try chocolate chips.
- Substitute the mixed spices for lemon juice and lemon rind for a zingy taste.
- Orange juice and orange rind is another great alternative to try.
How To Store Rock Cakes
After rock cakes have been taken out of the oven, make sure they are left on a wire rack to cool. Rock cakes are then best stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you wish to, they can be frozen, but ensure that you place in a container and separate the rock cakes with parchment paper (greaseproof paper) to prevent freezer burn.
Rock cakes are however so delicious, you probably wont have to worry too much about storing them as they will be eaten shortly after baking them. They will be lucky to make the next day! The only thing you will need to worry about is when you are going to make the new batch!
Rock cakes are one of those things that you don’t bake for a long time and then when you wonder why you left it soooo long! They are so simple to make and absolutely perfect for the kids to bake. Make them for the lunch box, afternoon tea or even for breakfast!
Need some more recipe ideas? Check out our entire range of party food ideas that are perfect for the kids and adults too. There are plenty of homemade birthday cakes, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate popcorn and other delicious recipes that guests will all love.
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I grew up on these in the deepest wilds of country Victoria, Australia. They are a delightful reminder of the past and how Mum used to whip them up on a combustion stove, even in summer — which made the kitchen boiling hot. Thank you for the reminder and the recipe. I’m off to whip up my own batch, and I bet they won’t last long!
The great thing about these Mary Anne are that they can literally be ‘whipped up’. It sounds like you have very fond memories of them. I hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
I made these for my father in law, who wished me could make rock cakes like these!.
Needless to say he enjoyed them a lot I’m now make my second batch for him.
An easy recipe to follow.
That’s fantastic Mandy. Once you make them once they do become a bit of a favorite don’t they. It’s tempting to make a double batch as they get eaten too quickly!
HI Catherine, My mum made these all the time when we were kids. She was a WAAF in London in WW2. Her mum was a home economics teacher pre war. My mum used brown sugar and half lard, half butter. The spice was nutmeg and currents only were used. I use a food processor to carefully mix my dry mix and then add the liquid and mix by hand because it must be stiff to get the rocky lumps. My favourite mum recipe!
It definitely sounds like it is a tried and tested recipe in your family Deb 🙂 Isn’t it awesome to have a recipe that you just know that mum made amazingly 🙂
I have already made these a few time my grandma use to make them for us….
They are amazing arn’t they. You forget how great those old recipes really are 🙂
I use my Aunty’ Rita’s recipe it has wholemeal SR flour,raw sugar,butter,egg,milk,cinnamon. Sultanas .Lately I soak the sultanas in boiling water for a few minutes and the rock cakes are even nicer. I dip them lightly in raw sugar on the tops before baking.