The the first cakes I ever baked were rock buns, they were my first introduction to cooking and taught to me my grandmother. They were also my grandfathers favorite treat. I always think of both of them as I make them.
If you have twenty minutes and a few store-cupboard ingredients to hand you can whip up a batch of these delicious buns in a flash. Teach this recipe to your children or your grandchildren.
Grandma's Rock Buns
If you have twenty minutes and a few store-cupboard ingredients to hand you can whip up a batch of these delicious buns in a flash. Teach this recipe to your children or your grandchildren.
Grandma's Rock Buns
You will need
- 225 g (8 oz) self raising flour
- A pinch of salt
- 100 g (4 oz) butter
- 75 g (3 oz) mixed dried fruit
- 25 g (1 oz) mixed peel
- 1 tbsp mixed spice
- 50 g (2 oz) caster sugar
- 1 medium egg
- Milk to mix
How to make them
- Heat your oven to 200ºC or Gas Mark 6. Grease two baking trays.
- Mix the flour, salt and mixed spice, rub in the butter.
- Stir in the dried fruit, mixed peel and sugar.
- Mix to a stiff dough with egg and milk.
- Place in rough heaps on the baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy with a nice cup of tea
This month's CelebriTEA post comes from Fran of lovely blog Tweens n Twincesses.
As Mothers Day comes around again I instantly think of my grandma.
She has been more like my mother since I can remember; indeed it was under her wing that I developed my love of everything vintage. She taught me how to make a proper cup of tea; always loved a second cup before more water was added to the pot and had lovely tea cosies.
My grandma is now almost 88, I see her several times a week. Having been her carer for almost five years we are still incredibly close. On Mothers Day I will be making her a sandwich cake and the great-grandchildren and I will pile over to see her with flowers and make a huge fuss of her until she gets too tired of us all. The cake will be her own special recipe, am sure she wouldn’t mind my sharing her recipe with you, in fact I think she’d be rather tickled at the thought of being mentioned at all.
Eunice's Sandwich Cake
The Grandest Mother
As Mothers Day comes around again I instantly think of my grandma.
She has been more like my mother since I can remember; indeed it was under her wing that I developed my love of everything vintage. She taught me how to make a proper cup of tea; always loved a second cup before more water was added to the pot and had lovely tea cosies.
I have vivid memories of kneeling on a chair at the worktop, watching her prepare for Sunday teatime. A nice cloth, laid with tea cups and saucers, sandwiches and a freshly baked cake. So when I spotted this sweet little set in our local charity shop I just had to add it to my ever growing collection. It has Royal Vale stamped on the bottom and is English Bone China. I dont think I shall ever use it; for now it sits next to my ribbons on my craft shelf and holds my pincushion.
Another one of my favourite finds is a charming hand embroidered postcard.
The seller assured me it dated from before the first world war. The stitching is so perfect and the sentiment so lovely. Someone clearly has put a great deal of love into this little card.
I have it tucked safely away at the moment as I haven’t found a perfect spot for it and would hate it to be spoilt before I could frame it
The seller assured me it dated from before the first world war. The stitching is so perfect and the sentiment so lovely. Someone clearly has put a great deal of love into this little card.
I have it tucked safely away at the moment as I haven’t found a perfect spot for it and would hate it to be spoilt before I could frame it
My grandma is now almost 88, I see her several times a week. Having been her carer for almost five years we are still incredibly close. On Mothers Day I will be making her a sandwich cake and the great-grandchildren and I will pile over to see her with flowers and make a huge fuss of her until she gets too tired of us all. The cake will be her own special recipe, am sure she wouldn’t mind my sharing her recipe with you, in fact I think she’d be rather tickled at the thought of being mentioned at all. Eunice's Sandwich Cake
For the cake
Method
- Three large eggs (room temperature)
- Self raising flour
- Stork margarine
- Caster sugar
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 25 grams/ 1oz cornflour
- Vanilla essence
- Icing sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla essence
- Dash of milk
Method
- Grease two 7 inch sandwich tins, lining just the bottom with greaseproof paper.
- Preheat oven to 170/180 c.
- Weigh the eggs ( 3 large ones are usually about 8 oz)
- Weigh the same amount of caster sugar and stork and cream together. Beat really well
- to ensure fluffy cake!
- Weigh the flour minus 1oz and substitute with the 1 oz of cornflour. Add the baking powder
- to these.
- Sieve one tablespoon of the flour mixture into the creamed ingredients then break one egg into it, beating quickly to prevent curdling. Repeat with remaining eggs.
- Add a drop of vanilla essence.
- Spoon into the cake tins, spreading with a spatula then shake the tins on the worktop to flatten the mixture really well ( makes a super flat top!)
- Bake at 170-180 (Gas Mark 4/350 F) for about 20 -25 minutes.
- Turn out while still warm onto a rack. Make up the buttercream, adding a small drop of milk to make it really smooth. Once the cake is cool add a thin layer of jam or lemon curd to one side, buttercream on the other and put together.
- To be really authentic to grandma’s recipe, place a paper doily over the top and sieve a small amount of icing sugar over the top to make a lovely pattern ( A tea strainer is perfect for this!)
My lovely grandma, Eunice Meredith
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