Rock Cakes

Back from England, I tried baking something British. ^^

And the dessert I'm sharing today is a ROCK CAKE recipe. 

Don't be alarmed by the name, "rock cake." The name of this cake comes from its appearance, not its texture, hehe. 

This British dessert originated in the 19th century, when people began baking at home. To save money during the war, British housewives devised this small cake recipe using only flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and dried fruit. It also uses less butter and eggs than a typical cake.

It's actually very similar to a scone, but different in its texture, appearance, and how it's eaten.

Rock cake is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Its look resembles a cookie, being flat and not very tall. It's usually eaten plain without any additional butter or jam.

Scones, on the other hand, are fluffy and chewy, with a bread-like texture, and are thick enough to be divided into two halves for filling with cream, butter, or jam.

The principles and methods for making both desserts are similar, but the quantity of the ingredients and how you shape the dough are different.

Therefore, the precautions for making them are similar. Just be sure not to overmix, as this will not only make the dessert tough. The charm of rock cake lies in its imperfections.

Rock Cakes

Makes 6 pieces

100 g ......................... All-purpose flour
38 g ........................... Light brown sugar (Cassonade)

1/8 tsp ....................... Salt

1/4 tsp ....................... Cinnamon powder

1 tsp .......................... Baking powder
75 g ........................... Unsalted butter (cool, cut into 1 cm cubes)
25 g ........................... Egg

50 g ........................... Milk

50 g ........................... Dried Cranberry

25 g ........................... Candied orange peel

................................... Light brown sugar (Cassonade) for sprinkling over the cake

Preheat the oven to 190℃. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Put all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon powder, and baking powder into the mini chopper bowl. Process to combine.

Put the butter into the bowl. Process until combined.

Pour the egg and milk into the bowl.

Process to combine.

Put the dough in a bowl and mix with dried fruits.

Mix to combine.

Divide the dough into 6. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet.

Sprinkle the cassonade over the cake dough.

Bake the cookie in a preheated oven at 190℃ for 16-18 minutes.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

Rock Cakes