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Rock Cake Recipe

January 29, 2023 Penny 15 Comments

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three rock cakes with sultanas on a plate
Rock Cake

Rock Cake Recipe – Simple Baking

Baking cakes can be intricate and time consuming, or simple and quick. And the latter can produce lovely cakes that are just as tasty, if not more so than the fancy. And as my cooking is mainly about easy and low cost recipes, then the easy and quick is more important to me. Rock cakes are probably one of the simpler baking recipe but many people really enjoy them. It is also possible to do a few variations without taking a big risk of failing, too! The good thing is that the lumpier and craggier they look the better! No need to get them smooth or even – a positive refuge for the more slap dash type cook!

Rock cakes have had a varied image through the years but are still an easy to make, tasty tea time or lunch box treat

A Cake With History

Wikipedia tells me they are of British origin and were particularly popular in the war because they required only one egg, as eggs were rationed. It also says that they are popular in many parts of the world too. Who would have thought the humble rock cake should get such fame!

But the rock cake has survived way beyond the war and is still available to buy in bakeries today – so its attributes are not just that it is easy and economical to make – but that it’s tasty and enjoyable to eat.

Rock cakes also remind me of my sister and making rock cakes in cookery lessons at school. Not being a fan of the subject she was concerned her cakes might turn out to truly match their name! Well she brought them home and we ate them so they couldn’t have bee too bad! I think she was just lacked a bit of confidence in her abilities.

Baking often brings back memories – it is quite a medetitave activity and good for the soul. Not to mention filling the kitchen with amazin homely aromas!

Simple, Tasty Cakes

So rock cakes are the product of cookery classes, war time rationing and the butt of jokes in books, films and television jokes, but nevertheless the rock cake still stands proud – and tasty. More filling and less sweet than some cakes they are popular with children and adults alike. They are a simple treat to add to a lunch box as an elevenses or 3.00 tea time snack.

Make Your Rock Cake Recipe Your Own!

You can vary the ingredients to suit your own tastes and what you have in the cupboards. I use sultanas in mine but you can use currants and raisins or mixed fruit. I have flavoured them with mixed spice and cinnamon.

This recipe uses self-raising flour, butter, eggs, milk and sultanas. Because I used self raising flour these rock cake are made without baking powder. If you want to add an extra flourish add the rind and juice of a lemon or orange. This recipe makes nine quite large rock cakes – you could make twelve smaller cakes. It is up to you how big you make your cakes – just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

three rock cakes with sultanas on a plate

Rock Cake Recipe

Easy to make and delicious to eat!
4.80 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 13 minutes mins
Course Cake
Cuisine British
Servings 12 cakes
Calories 208 kcal

Equipment

  • Baking tray

Ingredients
  

  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • 110 g butter or margarine
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • 110 g sultanas
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C
  • Sift the flour into a bowl
  • Rub in the butter or margarine until it looks like breadcrumbs
  • Stir in the sugar and spices
  • Add the egg and milk and stir into a dough
  • Stir in the sultanas
  • Grease a baking tray
  • Using two teaspoons make a 9-12 blobs of dough - use one spoon to scoop up the dough and the other to scrape it off the spoon on to the baking tray
  • Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown

Notes

You will need a baking tray
Keyword easy baking recipe

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Comments

  1. May says

    April 11, 2025 at 12:01 pm

    5 stars
    So easy baking xxxx

    Reply
  2. Jenny says

    February 4, 2025 at 11:09 am

    5 stars
    My family’s favourite snack. So quick and easy to make and really delicious results each time. Thankyou for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
    • Penny says

      February 5, 2025 at 10:54 am

      Thank you! Delighted that you love them 🙂

      Reply
  3. Tina says

    January 2, 2025 at 3:11 pm

    Mixture was too wet, ended up looking like cookies, tasty but flat

    Reply
    • Penny says

      January 3, 2025 at 8:26 am

      Just add a bit more flour next time.

      Reply
  4. Sid says

    December 18, 2024 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    I baked these rock cakes, it made 11 i ate one, took 5 to my daughter and 3 to my older sister, i and my sister loved them, i just got a phone call from my daughter have i got any left as my granddaughter had some and asked for more, need i say more, no just cook more.

    Reply
    • Penny says

      December 19, 2024 at 11:00 am

      Looks like you might have a regular job to do! So lovely to hear – and they are always best when they have just been baked. Happy Christmas to you and your family!

      Reply
  5. Charmaine O'Sullivan says

    November 4, 2024 at 11:17 pm

    4 stars
    Made these Rock Cakes and I had to add some more flour as it was very runny, just another 50g as the sultanas needed some moisture, just coming out now and looking lovely but they did spread a bit more than I was looking for.

    Reply
  6. Saint-Dizier says

    October 28, 2024 at 7:50 am

    5 stars
    j’avais la recette de ma grand-mère galloise qui est excellente mais qui prend plus de temps que celle-ci. Alors merci !

    Reply
  7. Mary says

    June 23, 2024 at 10:57 pm

    Was doing baked chicken for dinner and so decided to put something else in the oven also. So….drumroll…..Rock Cakes!
    They were consummed by bedtime.

    Reply
  8. Sarah says

    June 22, 2023 at 1:52 pm

    4 stars
    Just made these today but I like mine big so I made only 8, anyone else like this?

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth Hopkins says

    February 18, 2023 at 7:23 pm

    made these rock cake yesterday and my husband has ask for me to make them again great with nice cup of tea

    Reply
  10. Jeannie Anderson says

    September 25, 2021 at 1:27 pm

    I rem my mum n gran doing rock cakes n still make them myself to this day n when I bake I’m begged by my children who are adults now n some with children of their own xx they beg to keep them some x I add apple chocolate white or milk n even add strawberry n other fruits when at hand

    Reply
  11. Ann Roberts says

    August 2, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    I’ve been making rock cakes for many years as they are quick and easy to whip up. My two boys (38 & 40) still love them and always look to my cake tin when visiting to see if I’ve been baking. I usually add some broken walnut pieces to the mixture to give a bit of crunch and as we have chickens I use two eggs and leave out the milk. Rock cakes are my favourite to have for elevensies with a cup of tea, yummy.

    Love your recipes Penny, apple meringue tomorrow!!!

    Reply
  12. Maggie says

    March 22, 2013 at 7:22 pm

    My husband’s grandmother was famous for her “raisin rocks.” Nobody in the family seems to know why they were called that, but they seem to be essentially the same as your rock cakes. Her raisin rocks were made as very large cookies (here in the US) that she sold to miners. They would buy one in the morning on their way to the mine and enjoy it at various times throughout the day.

    Thanks so much for shedding light on why they were called rocks and the time period they spring from! You have added to our family’s understanding of her famous rocks!

    Reply

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