This easy rock cake recipe makes the perfect quick snack or teatime treat. The outside is golden and crumbly, while the inside stays soft and filled with sweet dried fruit. You don’t need any mixer or special tools—just basic pantry ingredients and a few minutes to mix, scoop, and bake.

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Ingredients Needed:

225g/8oz self-raising flour
75g/2½oz caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
125g/4½oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
150g/5½oz dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, or currants)
1 free-range egg
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

How To Make Rock Cakes Recipe?

Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add the cubed butter and rub it in with your fingers until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
Add dried fruit: Stir in the dried fruit until well combined.
Mix wet ingredients: In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk and vanilla extract.
Combine everything: Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and stir gently. The dough should be thick and a bit lumpy. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk—just one teaspoon at a time.
Spoon onto tray: Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the tray, leaving space between them as they’ll spread a bit while baking.
Bake until golden: Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the rock cakes turn golden brown.
Cool and enjoy: Let them cool for a few minutes on the tray, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Tips:

Use cold butter for the best texture: Cold butter helps create that crumbly, rock-like texture. If the butter is too soft, the dough can turn greasy.
Don’t overmix the dough: Mix just until the dough comes together. Overmixing will make the rock cakes dense and heavy.
Stick to spoonfuls, not balls: Drop the dough roughly onto the tray with a spoon. Don’t roll or shape it—this gives the rock cakes their rustic look.
Add a little milk only if needed: The dough should be thick and lumpy, not smooth or runny. Only add milk if it’s too dry to hold together.
Leave space on the tray: These spread while baking, so make sure there’s enough room between each one to stop them from sticking together.

How To Store Leftovers?

Refrigerate: Let the rock cakes cool down first. Once cool, put them in a sealed container and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them sit out for a bit before eating.
Freeze: After they cool fully, put them in a freezer-safe box or bag. Freeze for up to 1 month.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 190 kcal
Total Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium: 80mg
Potassium: 110mg
Total Carbohydrate: 27g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 2.5g

Try More Delia Smith Recipes:

Delia Smith Banana Bread Recipe
Delia Smith Quince Jelly Recipe

Delia Smith Rock Cakes Recipe

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

190

kcal

Ingredients

225g/8oz self-raising flour
75g/2½oz caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
125g/4½oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
150g/5½oz dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, or currants)
1 free-range egg
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add the cubed butter and rub it in with your fingers until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
Add dried fruit: Stir in the dried fruit until well combined.
Mix wet ingredients: In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk and vanilla extract.
Combine everything: Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and stir gently. The dough should be thick and a bit lumpy. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk—just one teaspoon at a time.
Spoon onto tray: Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the tray, leaving space between them as they’ll spread a bit while baking.
Bake until golden: Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the rock cakes turn golden brown.
Cool and enjoy: Let them cool for a few minutes on the tray, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Use cold butter for the best texture: Cold butter helps create that crumbly, rock-like texture. If the butter is too soft, the dough can turn greasy.
Don’t overmix the dough: Mix just until the dough comes together. Overmixing will make the rock cakes dense and heavy.
Stick to spoonfuls, not balls: Drop the dough roughly onto the tray with a spoon. Don’t roll or shape it—this gives the rock cakes their rustic look.
Add a little milk only if needed: The dough should be thick and lumpy, not smooth or runny. Only add milk if it’s too dry to hold together.
Leave space on the tray: These spread while baking, so make sure there’s enough room between each one to stop them from sticking together.