Old Fashioned Rock Cakes Recipe

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Rock cakes may not look that amazing but they are the taste of my childhood – often I’d come home from school to a house that smelt of baking and a pile of warm rock cakes. They’re a lovely alternative to fairy cakes or cupcakes – and don’t need cases!

They’re a favourite in our house so thought I’d share our best rock buns recipe with you all. This is the one rock scones recipe I know off by heart and could quite easily bake with my eyes closed as I have been baking it for such a long time.

There really is nothing like a nostalgic recipe that reminds you of your childhood and the smell of these traditional rock cakes baking is something that will always make me feel so content and happy. Nutmeg or mixed spice, dried fruits and the homely smell of baking – you really cannot beat it. This rock bun recipe is definitely one for the senses.

How to make Rock Cakes

These easy rock buns are so lovely to bake with the children. They are simple to make – and recipes don’t get much easier than this. It’s why we love this easy rock cakes recipe so much. The children can pretty much bake them by themselves and really enjoy getting stuck in where baking is concerned.

You can also add any dried fruit you like to the recipe for rock buns. We love including glace cherries when we have them or dried cranberries for a subtle, different flavour. Then you just dollop the mixture on a baking tray. There’s nothing pretty or fancy about these cakes. They are rustic, homely and just so lovely to bake and enjoy.

We love baking old fashioned rock cakes for play dates, as an after school treat or to enjoy on a weekend as part of an afternoon tea spread. They last well in an airtight container but are best enjoyed once cooled straight from the oven.

I think rocks cakes are my number one treat for any time of the year. They’re simple, rewarding and something that everyone enjoys. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love them and there’s a reason for that – they are just such a simple British, homely tradition.

So here’s our rock cake recipe – happy baking!

Ingredients

• 400 g Self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 150 g margarine or unsalted butter at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar – although demerara sugar works quite well too and gives a nice crunch.
• 200 g mixed dried fruit – currants/sultanas/mixed peel/glace cherries/cranberries etc
• 2 eggs
• milk – see method

Instructions

• Grease 2 baking sheets and preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6
• Sift the flour, salt and nutmeg into a mixing bowl. Rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the sugar and dried fruit.
• Crack the eggs into a measuring jug and beat lightly. Add milk until the total liquid is 200ml. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix with a fork. The mixture is the correct consistency when the fork can stand upright in it! It’s quite a stiff dough. You may have some milky egg  mixture left over – Don’t worry, it’s not needed.
• Dollop the mixture into rocky heaps on the baking sheets leaving space between them.
• Bake for 15-20 mins in the preheated oven until golden browned. Cool on a wire rack.

If you’d like to print or pin the rock cakes recipe for later you can do so below. Enjoy!

Print Pin

Rock Cake Recipe

Rock cakes may not look that amazing but they are the taste of my childhood – Often I’d come home from school to a house that smelt of baking and a pile of warm rock cakes – They’re a favourite in our house

Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Keyword baking, cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 12 cakes

Ingredients

• 400 g Self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 150 g margarine
• 150 g caster sugar
• 200 g dried fruit – currants/sultanas/mixed peel/glace cherries/cranberries etc
• 2 eggs
• milk – see method

Instructions

• Grease 2 baking sheets and preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6
• Sift the flour, salt and nutmeg into a bowl. Rub in the margarine until it looks like breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the sugar and dried fruit.
• Crack the eggs into a measuring jug and beat lightly. Add milk until the total liquid is 200ml. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix with a fork. The mixture is the correct consistency when the fork can stand upright in it! You may have some milky egg  mixture left over – Don’t worry, it’s not needed.
• Dollop the mixture into rocky heaps on the baking sheets leaving space between them.
• Bake for 15-20 mins until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

*Note: Nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.