Rock Cakes

Rock Cakes Recipe: Easy Traditional British Rock Cakes for Tea Time

Rock cakes are a classic British treat—crunchy on the outside, soft and fruity inside—perfect with a cup of tea. This easy rock cakes recipe is ideal for bakers of all levels and makes about 12 rustic, drop-style cakes. Use keywords like “rock cakes recipe,” “traditional rock cakes,” and “easy rock cakes” to help readers find this quick bake.

Ingredients
– 225g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
– 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
– 100g (7 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
– 75g mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas)
– 1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon (optional)
– Pinch of salt
– 1 large egg, beaten
– 2-3 tbsp milk (plus extra for glazing)
– Demerara sugar for sprinkling (optional)
– Zest of half an orange (optional)

Why you’ll love this rock cakes recipe
These rock cakes are quick to make, require no rolling or cutters, and deliver a rustic appearance that’s deliberately imperfect—rocky tops that give great texture. They’re an excellent “easy rock cakes” option when you want a nostalgic bake with minimal fuss.

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar, mixed spice, and salt until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the dried fruit and orange zest if using.
4. Mix the beaten egg with 2 tablespoons of milk and fold into the dry ingredients. Add more milk a little at a time until the mixture just comes together—aim for a stiff, slightly sticky dough.
5. Use two teaspoons or your hands to drop rough, rocky mounds of dough onto the prepared tray, leaving space between each.
6. Brush the tops lightly with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar for crunch.
7. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Tips, variations, and storage
– Don’t overwork the dough—keeping it rough creates the characteristic texture.
– Swap dried fruit for chocolate chips or chopped dried apricots for modern variations.
– Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze baked rock cakes for up to 1 month.

This traditional rock cakes recipe is a convenient and comforting bake—search “easy rock cakes” or “rock cakes recipe” next time you want a simple homemade treat.

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Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and rub in the cubed butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then mix in the dried fruit.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg and milk together with the vanilla extract.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until the mixture just comes together as a thick, lumpy dough. Add a teaspoon more milk if you really need it to make the mixture stick together.
Place golfball-sized spoons of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Leave space between them as they will flatten and spread out to double their size during baking.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden-brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.