Rock Cakes have made a few appearances in the Harry Potter series and poor old Ron, Hermione, and Harry have all at some point had to force feed themselves one when they wen to visit Hagrid. Luckily none of the trio suffered from broken teeth! But don’t worry these little beauties will most definitely not break your teeth. Contrary to the name, Rock Cakes actually have a slightly rocky exterior and a super soft and fluffy inside. They earned their name due to the fact that they take on the appearance of little rocks and not because they are absolute jawbreakers. They taste just wonderful – buttery, sweet and spiced and the texture takes on that of something between a scone and a cookie. It’s hard to explain so you’ll just have to try one for yourself!
A Rock Cake recipe inspired by JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, and traditional British treat, that won’t break your teeth like Hagrid’s Rock Cakes!
Rock Cakes are a traditional British treat, commonly baked in households with less money – purely because they were rather inexpensive to make. As a kid I would swallow them down a treat but my mum used to bake them much like Hagrid’s Rock Cakes – as solid as rocks. So, naturally with Halloween coming up I’ve used it as the perfect excuse to go baking crazy and the kids have been loving it!
These are suitable for kids of all ages and would make a great healthier option at a Halloween party. If you’re working with anyone that has a nut allergy then omit the ground almonds and use a little under 1/4 cup additional coconut flour. You may find that you require a little milk to loosen the mix if you do opt for more coconut flour.
So if you’d like to get your geek on and whip up a batch of (not) Hagrid’s Rock Cakes take a look at the recipe below and get cracking!
Looking for more Halloween treats? Why not try my Ghostly Halloween White Chocolate Apples, Paleo Candy Corn, or Marzipan Severed Zombie Fingers!
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- ½ cup ground almonds (slightly heaped)
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 100g coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- ¼ of a fresh nutmeg (grated)
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum (optional but helps hold the dough together)
- ¼ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt (if coarse grind)
- ¼ tsp vanilla powder (optional)
- Zest of 1 orange (optional)
- 150g unsalted grass-fed butter (or 100g coconut oil)
- 125g mixed dried fruit (I used raisins, currants, and cherries)
- 2 eggs
- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together your flours, coconut sugar, baking powder, mixed spice, nutmeg, xanthan gum, salt, and vanilla powder, being sure to get rid of any clumps of sugar.
- Next stir in your orange zest and then rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the fruit and stir until evenly distributed.
- Whisk your eggs lightly with a fork then add to the flour mixture. Stir the mixture until it forms a stiff dough. If your dough is too stiff you may need to add a tablespoon of nut milk to loosen the mix. The dough should resemble a rough cookie dough.
- Using two forks pile the mixture onto a lined baking tray, or silicone baking mat, creating irregular spiky heaps.
- Place the tray into the centre of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. If at any point you feel the cakes are browning too quickly create a tent with tin foil (shiny side up) to protect the tops from browning any further.
- Remove from the oven and leave the rock cakes to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before removing to a wire rack. This is because the rock cakes will be incredibly fragile while hot and will break apart with ease.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature (if you can resist eating them all of course).
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