Bookish Recipe: Hagrid's Rock Cakes

As you know, tomorrow is Harry Potter Book Night, so I have been planning a little Harry Potter Party. I already shared with you some of the decorations I have made and today I wanted to share a recipe that will be the perfect dessert: Chocolate Rock Cakes.

When Harry first arrives at Hogwarts, lovely Hagrid invites him to his hut for tea and cakes. So Harry and Ron head over there on their first Friday and find themselves on a tricky situation... Hagrid's Rock Cakes almost break their teeth! But they pretend to enjoy them as they listen to him talk. Do not worry, these rock cakes will not break your teeth. They are hard outside but soft and yummy inside!

I had a search online for the perfect Rock Cake recipe. Most called for dried fruit but I'm not a bit fan. So when I saw that one of my favourite bloggers, Helen Redfern, had a recipe for Chocolate Rock Cakes, I knew I had found the perfect one. If you haven't checked Helen's blog, then you are missing out. She bakes the most delicious treats inspired by the books she reads, and her photos are amazing. Anyway, here's the link to her recipe which a lovely letter to Hagrid and here's how I made them:

1) Pre-heat oven to 190 and prepare a tray with a baking sheet. Mix the flour (I only had all purpose flour, so I added a tsp of baking powder), salt and sugar and stir.

2) Add the butter (I took it out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting so it was soft and easy to mix). Mix everything with your fingers until you have a crumble type mixture. Don't over do it or it'll be dry. Add the chocolate chunks or chips if you prefer.

3) Make a well in the centre and add the egg, a splash of milk and the vanilla extract. Whisk it a bit and then combine everything with your hands. I didn't need to add any more milk, but if your dough is a bit dry you can add more.

4) Make balls and put them on the tray with the baking sheet. I wanted rather big cakes so I divided it into 10 balls. Bake them. The recipe calls for 15 minutes or until golden. I baked mine for 18 minutes.

5) Once you think they are golden enough, take them out and let them cool. And enjoy!