Rock Cakes

One of the most memorable foods to appear in the Harry Potter series is Rock Cakes. Though they are only mentioned six times throughout the seven books, everyone remembers them because of our love of Hagrid (combined of course with Ms. Rowling's fabulous descriptions of their tooth-cracking consistency). Rock cakes first appear during Harry and Ron's very first visit to Hagrid's:

"...Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate... The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons" (Sorcerer's Stone 140).

I've made rock cakes numerous times since owning The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. The recipe is super easy and super delicious! And like Ms. Bucholz says, if you want your rock cakes to be more like Hagrid's, just over-bake them and save them for about a week before eating them!

You Will Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into chunks

1 large egg

1/3 cup whole milk

1 cup raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a large cookie sheet.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles wet sand. You could also do this in a food processor if you'd like.

3. Beat the egg together with the milk and pour it into the flour mixture. Fold it together using a spatula, forming a stiff dough.

4. Fold in the raisins.

5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, 2" apart.

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking.

These are so yummy! Enjoy them with a spot of tea, with jam, with marmalade, with clotted cream, plain, whatever you'd like!