Rock Cakes
I got this recipe from Home Economics class in high school (about 1990). This is very easy and tastes good too! Great for a first timer! Adding a bit more cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg adds a bit more flavor.
I got this recipe from Home Economics class in high school (about 1990). This is very easy and tastes good too! Great for a first timer! Adding a bit more cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg adds a bit more flavor.
- Carbohydrate 3.5538 g
- Cholesterol 213.126666666667 mg
- Fat 5.37056666666667 g
- Fiber 0.0184000002741814 g
- Protein 6.9702 g
- Saturated Fat 1.80509 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Dozen (81g)
- Sodium 1385.86266666667 mg
- Sugar 3.53539999972582 g
- Trans Fat 0.849766666666665 g
- Calories 86 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
- Add margarine, rub in until like fine bread crumbs.
- Mix in fruit.
- Beat egg in a small bowl.
- Add beaten egg and enough milk to dry mixture to form a stiff dough.
- Place on cookie sheet in small rough piles.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until light brown in color and firm to touch.
- Cool on wire rack.
Standard ingredient lists omit the physical mechanics required to transform flour, fat, and milk into British-style rock cakes. Achieving their signature craggy exterior relies entirely on how the margarine interacts with the flour. Rubbing cold fat into flour coats the protein strands, inhibiting gluten development and creating a crumbly interior rather than a chewy loaf. Incorporating the liquid components too quickly melts the fat pockets, destroying the irregular structure that gives these pastries their name.
Controlling Texture Through Technique
Handling the dough requires a light touch to preserve the uneven pockets of air formed by the baking powder. Overworking the mixture develops excess gluten, yielding tough, flat biscuits instead of light, mounded cakes. Portioning rough, unshaped heaps onto a 400 degree Fahrenheit baking sheet ensures the edges brown faster than the centers, producing the characteristic contrast between a crisp perimeter and a tender core.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the bases turn light brown.
- Transfer hot pastries immediately to a wire rack to prevent steam from softening the crust.
- Measure milk gradually; dough must remain stiff enough to hold a rugged peak without spreading.
