Rock Cake

I'm back on the wretched ivs again... but I did get a little more baking in before I had to temporarily hang up my oven gloves.  Right now I am feeling pretty grotty and frequently nauseous, so baking is one of the last things on my list of things to do!  I have been indulging in some online retail therapy recently and my amazon addiction is showing no sign of abating, and one of my purchases is the lovely Ritz London Book of Afternoon Tea.  It is definitely one of those little books that are described as charming in the publicity blurb; its filled with lovely illustrations of Victorian ladies and gents taking tea and has some great little tea related poems and stories.  Its also written in the style of a slightly un-PC maiden aunt who has been at the sherry a bit too much... I particularly like the fact that the recipes are divided into English cakes and Foreign and Wicked cakes! Wicked French fal-de-lals covered in cream and other such decadence! I decided to have a go at their recipe for rock cakes as I have always liked a good rock cake and they really are so simple, its a good recipe for when you are feeling tired and full of cold- as I was when I made these.  One good thing I have discovered during making these, is that my kitchenaid can rub butter and flour together really brilliantly and far more quickly that I can do it by hand. It also means I don't get loads of flour and butter stuck under my fingernails which is one of my absolute pet hates-ick ick ick!

Lovely rubbed in butter

So a bit of a quick mix of everything else and whack 'em in the oven for about fifteen minutes and that's it- very quick and very yummy. I finished them with a good drizzle of leftover chocolate icing- I never throw icing away, I will make extra cakes just so that I dont have to!