Rock cakes, rock buns, whatever you call them are a British classic recipe I grew up on. Don’t be fooled by these little rocklike desserts. They look like little rocks but are soft and sweet. Sort of like a scone but not a scone. Scones are rolled out and cookie cut. These are just scooped up with a spoon.
This past weekend I went back into my childhood and made these rock cakes for tea with a few friends, instead of the traditional scone. They turned our pretty good.
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Sift 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 tsp baking powder together.
Add 5 tbs of cold diced butter and mix into flour with fingertips until butter feels like little grains.
Add 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut. Mix all together.
In measuring cup mix together 1/2 cup milk and 2 tsp vanilla. Add to flour mixture in 2 parts Add first half. Mix and add 2 oz of raisins mixing gently with a spoon.
Mix the last half bit of milk into flour until it becomes sticky /stiff. Don’t mix too much or your rock cakes will turn out hard and dense but mix to be smooth.
Use the spoon to drop the buns on your lined baking tray. The shape of rock cakes should not be perfect. Sprinkle the tops of the buns with extra coconut and brown sugar.
Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
Let’s dig in!
