Rock Cakes

Rock cakes are great! You sort of pile them onto the baking tray and different bits go golden making them look a bit like rocks (shocker).  Change the fruit component to make all sorts of different ones - cherry, date, ginger.

My Grandfather was a cook in the army when he did his national service after World War Two. He made these lovely little low sugar cakes which I am trying to replicate for my kids. I'm starting with rock cakes and am going to go from there to try and figure them out.

Here is a pic of the original rock cake recipe my Grandparents used - I find it too sweet so use an Ounce less sugar. My recipe underneath is a rough approximation into metric (with less sugar) and still makes lovely cakes. Makes 10 cakes.

Ingredients

225g self raising flour (or plain with 2 tsp baking powder)

115g butter or margarine

85g caster sugar

1 egg

115g mixed dried fruit

approx 2 tbsp milk

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180c. The original recipe converts to nearer 200c but in my fan oven 180 is perfect.
Line a tray with baking paper
Mix the butter and flour together to form a crumb type consistency

Add the sugar and fruit and briefly mix together

Add the egg and milk

Roughly split the mixture in 2 and spoon 5 piles of mix onto the tray from each half to give you 10 cakes. I take an extra minute to poke any raisins in to the mixture so that they don't burn.
Bake for 12 minutes - you are looking for golden tones not black.

Gasp - rock cakes in a paper case - makes them easier to transport for the kids lunches!