British Rock Cakes / Rock Buns

Okay, so I’m a huge fan of tea, any kind. There’s just something very soothing about steeping tea, and what’s better than to enjoy a cuppa during your reading session :3

But there comes a time when a cuppa just isn’t enough and you feel like having something to munch on……. and to be washed down with that perfectly warm drink.

Fear no more, people! I have just the best solution for you!  😀 (And it takes less than half an hour from scratch to finish, tempting huh? 😉  )

According to Wiki, “A rock cake, also called a rock bun, is a small fruit cake with a rough surface resembling a rock.”

So, yea, let’s make some rock then 🙂

British Rock Cakes

Ingredients

• 225 g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 110 g butter (NOT in room temperature, better to use cold butter as it melts slower)
• 55 g granulated sugar
• 100 g candied orange peel (or any dried fruits of your choice)
• 1 egg
• 1-3 tbsp milk
• brown sugar for garnishing (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 200 C/ 390 F.
2. Sieve self-raising flour and baking powder into a large bowl, dice butter and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips. (* I used a fork because my hands are always too warm *)
3. Rub until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Add sugar and candied orange peel, mix well.
5. Add egg and 1 tbsp of milk to create stiff dough. (Add another tbsp of milk if the dough is too dry, the “breadcrumbs” should be just wet enough to stick together)
6. Grease baking tray with butter/ cooking spray  [I just lined it with parchment paper, saved even more time on washing haha]
7. Use two spoons/ forks to divide the dough into ~12-14 portions
8. Place divided dough onto the baking tray (about 2.5″ wide each and resembling pieces of rock) and sprinkle with brown sugar.
9. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Leave to cool a bit on a cooling rack before serving or it will crumble really badly. Best served warm though 🙂

Serves ~ 14 pieces

Note: 

I don’t really have a sweet tooth so the amount of sugar used in this recipe has be cut down by quite a bit, the finished rock cakes tasted just right to me together with the candied orange peel. But feel free to increase the sugar content if you wish! (But well, less sugar means less guilt 😉   )

This is by far the best rock cakes/ buns recipe that I’ve used, completely reliable!

Now there you go, another teatime treat! I hope you like it 😀

Please leave me comments or suggestions, let me know how it goes too if you give this recipe a go ❤

Joyce