Rock Buns

 Edith Stevenson’s Rock Buns

Ingredients

6 oz self raising flour

3 oz butter or soft margarine

2 oz sugar, caster or granulated

1 dessert spoonful of orange marmalade

2 oz sultanas

1 egg - beaten

1 tablespoonful of milk

Half a teaspoon of baking powder

There was no method with Edith's recipe. She knew what to do. So this is from a similar recipe

Method I (lower temperature, longer cooking time)

Heat oven to 180C/ 160C Fan/ Gas 4 or lowest shelf of Aga

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. 

Tip the flour, and baking powder  into a bowl. 

Add the butter, cut into small pieces. 

Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture forms fine crumbs.

Stir in the sugar, marmalade fruit, then add the egg and a little milk if necessary. 

Mix to a fairly firm dough. 

Spoon 15 rough blobs of the mixture onto the baking sheet, leaving room for a little spreading.

Sprinkle a little extra sugar over the cakes. 

Bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown.

Or - use your food processor for the easiest teatime treat ever! Tested by Elaine Corbett.

 Method II

Edith suggests a higher heat for her version, so I heated the oven to 190 degrees C fan (200 conventional).

Using the cutting blade, process Margerine (I used Stork Soft), sugar, and egg for 5 seconds. 

Add marmalade and pulse. 

Add S.R Flour and half teaspoon of baking powder, and pulse until combined. Add a scant tablespoon of milk to make a slightly sticky dough.

Remove the cutting blade and stir in the raisins, (I used the soft unctuous ones for snacking)

Spoon out onto baking parchment lined tray - I made 10,  and bake for 12 to 15 minutes

These came out like sponge drops with a crunchy crust, deliciously melting inside, with a slight orange tang. As you can see in the picture I had to photograph them quickly!!!

If you are lucky enough to have any left for the next day, store them in an airtight tin and you will have little orange and raisin cakes, as the crunchiness will have gone, but they are just as nice.

The verdict? A lovely easy teatime staple - and I can’t wait to try them with 2 oz of dessicated coconut instead of the raisins like my mother used to make for our farm lads’ teas.