Rock buns (rock cakes) recipe | Cooking with my kids (2024)

These Scottish rock buns or rock cakes are a tasty and easy bake that kids will love. With only a few ingredients they are the perfect bake for toddlers and kids.

Rock buns or rock cakes are a traditional Scottish bake. They’re the sort of bake I remember my Granny making – i’m sure there was always a batch of them fresh from the oven when we went round to her house.

If you’ve never had a rock bun before, you can expect a light fluffy bun or biscuit, a wee bit crumbly, almost scone like in texture. They’re not overly sweet, which makes addition of raisins very welcome. You could add alternative fruit if raisins aren’t your favourite.

Why are rock buns called rock buns?

Rock buns (also known as rock cakes) get their name because of their looks. They are a roughly shaped biscuit/cookie which looks a bit like a rock. They’re not hard like a rock though, much to my kid’s relief!

Rock buns date back to at least 1861 with a recipe for them found in a Mrs Beatson cookbook, and were widely promoted during WW2 because their simple ingredients were easier to find during times of rationing.

How can kids help make rock buns?

Rock buns are one of those easy bakes with only a few ingredients that all get mixed together in one bowl, making them perfect for even little kids and toddlers to try. They don’t take long to make, so you can rustle up a batch in no time.

The first step is to rub the butter and flour together to make a breadcrumb texture. This is a great way of letting your kids get their hands a bit messy. It’s fun and tactile and one of my kids favourite baking jobs.

After that, your kids can help measure and mix all the ingredients together. There’s even an egg for them to get a chance to practice cracking.

Lastly, you can get your kids to form each bun by hand. Again, this is another way of letting them get their hands a bit messy – just have the wet wipes on standby!

Why did my rock buns not rise?

Rock buns need a raising agent to rise – you can either use baking powder or self raising flour. If your rock buns are a bit flat first make sure your ingredients are in date. If that’s not the problem, make sure when you rub in the flour and butter, you need to do it for long enough for them to be well mixed.

Can I freeze rock buns?

Yes. Once cooked, pop the rock buns into a freezer bag or airtight container. They’ll keep for a few months in the freezer.

Can you use plain flour instead of self raising flour?

Yes. Self raising flour is really common in the UK. It’s just like regular plain or all-purpose flour but the raising agent has already been added. If you don’t have self raising flour, simply add 1 teaspoon of baking powder when you add the plain flour.

Can I use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar?

Yes. Granulated sugar is a little coarser than caster sugar but in this recipe, that doesn’t matter. Simply swap them 1:1 and you’ll never notice.

What other Scottish recipes can I make?

If you want to browse some of our other Scottish recipes you can find them all together in one place, or check out our favourites:

Millionaire’s shortbread
Cranachan
Oat cakes
Empire biscuits
Scottish shortbread
Scotch broth
Shortbread fingers
Chocolate chip shortbread
Potato scones

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these rock buns:

Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Wire rack

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Difficulty:Easy

Time:20 minutes plus 16 minutes baking

Serves:8

Ingredients

150g (1 cup) self raising flour
75g (1/4 cup) butter, softened
75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
50g (1/4 cup) raisins/sultanas
1/4 teaspoon of mixed spice
1 egg

How to make rock buns / rock cakes

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan / 325F and line a baking tray with baking paper

Mix the flour and butter together

Get your kids to weigh the flour (150g) and add it to a large mixing bowl. Measure the butter and chop it into small pieces. This is a great way of letting your kids practice their chopping skills as you can just use a blunt butter knife. If you get the pieces of butter nice and small, it’ll make the next step a bit easier.

Add the butter to your mixing bowl.

Get your kids to use their finger tips and rub the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you’ve never ‘rubbed in’ before, get your kids to take the larger lumps of butter and rub them between their fingers with the flour. If you keep doing this the lumps of butter should get smaller and smaller and mix in with the flour until you get a rough breadcrumb texture.

Add the remaining dry ingredients

Weigh the sugar (75g) and raisins (50g) and add to your bowl. Add the mixed spice. When your kids are adding the mixed spice, make sure they use their finger to level the teaspoon so that you don’t add too much.

Mix it in slightly with a knife or spoon.

Add the egg

Get your kids to crack the egg into a small bowl, then add to your mixing bowl and give it a good mix. You could add it straight into your mixing bowl if you’re confident they’ll not drop shell in. If you do get some shell in your egg, simply use a larger piece of shell or a teaspoon to fish it out – shell sticks to shell better than it’ll stick to your finger.

Make the rock buns

Using your hands mix everything together then bring it together until you have formed a large ball of dough.

Divide the mixture into 8 pieces (you might need to help do this to make sure they’re roughly the same size). Bring each piece of dough together so it doesn’t crumble apart and then get your kids to roll them into balls and then pop them on to your baking tray. Make sure to leave gaps between them as they’ll spread a little as they bake.

Bake the rock buns

Bake the rock buns in the oven for 16-18 minutes. They’re ready when they are starting to look golden brown. Remove from the oven, leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve and enjoy. They’re best eaten still warm from the oven, but will keep for a day or two in an air tight container.

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Similar recipes

If you liked these rock buns, you’ll love our other traditional Scottish bakes our Cornish Fairings and our favourite easy bakes for kids.

I’ve linked this recipe up to #CookBlogShare, hosted by Recipes Made Easy

This recipe was first published in October 2017, and updated in October 2022.