Fully Loaded Rock Cakes

rockcakesthumb.JPGThese are the rock cakes you have been looking for - I've bent the rules a bit and heaped them full of fruit and chocolate - you won't believe how good they taste.

rockcakes6.JPG

The Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 250g Self-Raising Flour
  • 125g Butter or margarine
  • 50g Granulated or caster sugar
  • 250g Chocolate and/or yoghurt-coated raisins
  • 1 Egg
  • Milk to mix - a tablespoonful or two

Method:

rockcakes1.JPGPreheat the oven to 190C.

Sift the flour into a large bowl.

Rub in the fat, either by rubbing it together with your fingertips, or by repeatedly cutting through it with a table knife, or by means of a rubbing-in tool like the one in this picture.

Stop when the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar.

rockcakes2.JPGAdd the fruit and mix it in - I'm using equal amounts of (left to right in this picture):

Yoghurt and cranberry-crumb coated dried cranberries

Blueberry yoghurt coated raisins

Chocolate coated raisins

(Totalling 250g all together)

rockcakes3.JPGAdd the egg and one tablespoon of milk - mix it in with a table knife, aiming to make a stiff dough.

Add more milk in very small amounts if it won't come together.

Don't knead the dough at all - and work it only as much as necessary to pick up any dry crumbs in the bowl.

rockcakes4.JPGTear off chunks of dough and place them on a greased (or nonstick lined) cookie sheet.

Again, don't knead or squash the cakes - just grab a chunk of dough and drop it - they'll lose their light and crumbly texture if worked too much.

rockcakes5.JPGBake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they just start to brown at the extremities.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least another 10 minutes before serving (the fruit and chocolate inside can stay scalding hot for a while.)

This recipe makes about a dozen rock cakes - they're best consumed the same day (I don't think this will be a problem, when you taste them).

About This Recipe

Rock cakes are similar in composition to scones - although they're even easier to make.

You should be able to get the yoghurt coated raisins at health food stores, sweet shops or anywhere that sells a good selection of dried fruit and snacks,