Rock Cakes

Nov 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Easy

Small, craggy fruit buns made from a stiff, rubbed-in dough studded with mixed dried fruit and warm spice, baked in rough heaps so the peaks turn crisp and golden. Halfway between a scone and a cookie, they are crunchy outside and soft and cakey within. Makes 12 pieces in about 1 hr 1 min.

Prep 15 min

Cook 18 min

Cooling 10 min

Total 1 hr 1 min

Yield 12 pieces

Ingredients

Adjust yield

pieces

1 ¾ cups (225 g)all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp (10 g)baking powder, 2 1/2 tsp
¾ tsp (2 g)mixed spice, 1 tsp, or ground cinnamon
1 pinchfine sea salt
½ cup (100 g)unsalted butter, cold, diced
⅓ cup (75 g)granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups (150 g)mixed dried fruit, currants, raisins and chopped candied peel
1 (50 g)egg, large, beaten
1 ½ tbsp (20 ml)whole milk
1 tbsp (15 g)demerara sugar, or turbinado sugar

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, mixed spice and fine sea salt.
Rub the unsalted butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the granulated sugar and mixed dried fruit.
Beat the egg with the whole milk, pour it in and mix with a fork to a stiff, lumpy dough that holds together; do not knead it smooth.
Use two spoons to drop 12 rough heaps, about 50 g each, onto the sheets, 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Leave them craggy and sprinkle the tops with the demerara sugar.
Bake until risen, firm and golden brown on the peaks, 15 to 18 minutes, swapping the sheets halfway. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips

The dough should be stiff enough to stand in peaks; too much milk makes flat cakes instead of rocks.
Do not smooth the heaps; the rough points are what crisp up.
Tuck any fruit poking out of the surface back in, as exposed fruit can scorch.
Do not taste the raw dough; it contains raw flour and raw egg.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make rock cakes?

Plan on 15 minutes of prep and 18 minutes of cooking, plus 28 minutes to rise and rest. The recipe makes 12 pieces.

How should I store rock cakes?

Best the day they are baked; keep in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Can I make rock cakes ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Serve it with a pot of English breakfast tea.

Variations

Bite-size rock cakes: drop 24 heaps of about 25 g (1 oz) and bake 10 to 12 minutes.
Cherry and coconut: replace the dried fruit with 100 g (1/2 cup) finely chopped glacé cherries and 50 g (2/3 cup) desiccated coconut; bake time unchanged.
Lemon and sultana: use 150 g (1 cup) golden raisins and add 1 tsp (2 g) finely grated lemon zest; bake time unchanged.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

202 Calories / serving

7.5g Fat

31.9g Carbs

2.9g Protein

15.0g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~2424 cal · 90g fat · 383g carbs · 35g protein · 180g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.