Description
Throughout the Harry Potter books, Hagrid's cooking is something that seems best to be avoided. As described in The Sorcerer's Stone, "The rock cakes almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them." On the contrary, a classic Rock Cake has a consistency somewhat similar to a scone with a crumbly, rock-like outer and a soft, dense center. My version of Hagrid's Rock Cakes include aromatic cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and orange zest and are studded with raisins and currants for a rocky appearance.
Ingredients
- 240 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour (may swap for 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour if gluten-free)
- 100 g (about 1/2 cup) granulated sugar (*see notes below for notes on using honey)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 4 oz (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, sliced into chunks
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 54 g (about 1/3 cup) seedless raisins
- 54 g (about 1/3 cup) dried currants
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
- Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves in a food processor.
- Add cold butter to dry mixture and pulse for 30 seconds to break the butter up into smaller chunks.
- Add eggs and vanilla and pulse until just combined. The mixture should look somewhat gravelly.
- Carefully remove the blade from the food processor and add dried fruit to the dough. Mix by hand with a wooden spoon. You can also turn the dough out into a mixing bowl to mix if your prefer.
- Spoon out dough mixture in uneven mounds, about 2 tbsp per mound. Remember that they are supposed to look like knobbly rocks so there's no need to roll the dough into perfect balls.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before handling.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
12/15/21 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post.
For gluten-free diets: I've included a gluten-free option for Hagrid's Rock Cakes below for those who need it. I have only tested these Rock Cakes with Bob's Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour that contains a mix of almond flour, arrowroot starch, organic coconut flour, and tapioca flour. As there is a wide range of differences between gluten-free flour blends, I cannot speak to the results you might get from another gluten-free flour blend.
A note on honey: If you'd like to make gluten-free rock cakes that are also refined sugar-free, I've had good results swapping the recommended 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar for 4 tbsp clover honey. However, this honey swap is not as successful for the regular (non-gluten-free) version as the honey ratio does not add enough sweetness to balance the all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 rock cake
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 12 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg