Chocolate Rock Cakes | Recipe

Gig House Kitchen
Nov 2, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Dec 31, 2024

Somewhere between a scone and a biscuit, there’s a reason it's a British staple…

A well-loved and highly British afternoon snack, Chocolate Rock Cakes are a staple of schools and tea breaks around the country.

Somewhere between a scone and a biscuit, the rock cake is a firm favourite with kids and adults alike. Chocolate Rock Cakes are incredibly easy to make, with ingredients that most people keep in their store cupboards.

Plus they only take less than 30 minutes, so you can make them on a whim on a sunny afternoon or cozy winter night. The basic recipe can be adapted to any flavour, so there are endless possibilities.

This Chocolate Rock Cake recipe is our favourite variation, but you could also make it with dried fruits, candied citrus peels, apple pieces, or even crushed up chocolate bars and sweets. Whatever your heart desires!

It’s a great activity to do with kids and very easy for novice chefs to master. Why not try the recipe and let us know how you get on in the comments below!

What you need for this recipe

Mixing bowl (metal or glass is fine)
Wooden mixing spoon
Measuring jug
Large baking tray
Glass heatproof baking dish
Large pallet knife (not necessary, but helpful)
Baking parchment
Digital kitchen scales

You will also need a variety of plates, small bowls, and cutlery on hand for this recipe to weigh ingredients into, portion spices, etc.

Watch the video

Ingredients

225g (9 oz) - Self-raising flour
75g (3oz) - Soft tub margarine
75g (3oz) - Caster sugar
1 tsp - Baking powder
1 egg (med to large)
1-2 Tbps Milk (if needed)
Pinch of salt
200g (8oz) - chopped chocolate / chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 392°F / Gas Mark 5–6

Method

First, pre-heat oven to 220°C / 392°F / Gas Mark 5–6 and grease your baking sheet, then line with a sheet of baking parchment. This can now be set aside until needed.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into your mixing bowl and give them a stir to combine using a wooden spoon.
Add in the butter, and using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs or damp sand.
Next add in the caster sugar and the chocolate chips and stir to combine the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon or your hands.
Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk (beat) using a fork, then create a well in the flour mixture and pour and the beaten egg into it.
Use a fork to mix the egg into the flour mixture until it forms a shaggy dough, if the dough is too dry add milk a spoonful at a time until the dough just comes together and you can shape it with your hands (similar to cookie dough).
Once the dough is ready, use a spoon (or your hands) to portion the rock cake dough onto your baking sheet. They should be knobbly, so don’t attempt to smooth them. They’re meant to look like rocks! This recipe should make around 10–12 smaller rock cakes and 6–8 larger ones.
Bake the rock cakes in a hot oven for around 15–20 minutes, or until they are golden brown, and the bottom is baked. *Note that smaller cakes may need less time in the oven (10 mins rather than 15)
You can eat these straight from the oven, however, if you want to cool them down leave them on a wire rack until completely cooled so they don’t become soggy. Then they can be stored in an airtight container.

RELATED: Hot Crossed Buns | Recipe

Final comments

If you don’t need all the milk to achieve this consistency, do not use all the milk. Flour will need more or less liquid depending on the climate, the humidity, type of flour, etc. So you should always be cautious when adding liquids in a recipe with flour.

Rock cakes have a great shelf-life and will keep for 1–2 weeks when stored in a cool dark place in an airtight container.

This is a very forgiving recipe and great for people who are just starting out with baking. Apart from burning them, it’s very difficult to mess up a Rock Cake recipe – so get creative!

Here at the Gig House Kitchen we want to help new or inexperienced home cooks to learn basic food prep skills and recipes in a comfy and fun environment.

With over 40 years combined experience, the GHK team can take you from a novice who burns water to an experienced, natural cook.

Join us weekly for new recipes and learn to cook from scratch.

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