Low Calorie Cranberry Rock Cakes/Buns
Not so Naughty Cranberry Rock Cakes/Buns for a Healthy Baking Challenge
It’s nearly the end of January, and all those promises of eating less after the gargantuan feasts that I indulged in throughout the festive period have flown out of the window like broken New Year’s Resolutions – not that I ever make any resolutions, it’s pointless and I always feel so despondent when I break them. So, when Baking Mad asked if I would like to take part in a “Healthy Baking Challenge” my immediate response was yes, why not, let’s see what I can do to combat that longing for Quality Street chocolates and mince pies. I was part of a team of bloggers and tweeters that had to bake with certain ingredients that help reduce calories in baked goods and cakes. The “ambient” ingredients were sent to me to use in my healthy challenge baking session and comprised: Self Raising Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly), Half Spoon Granulated Sugar (Silver Spoon) and Dried Cranberries. I then used my own milk, fat and egg to make my chosen recipe, which was Low Calorie Cranberry Rock Buns.
Low Calorie Cranberry Rock Buns
Rock cakes or buns are a cross between a scone and a cake; slightly crumblier than a scone and not as “cakey” as a cake in the sponge sense……they are easy to make and happen to be one of my favourite tea time treats, especially when spiced. I was interested to see how the Half Spoon Sugar would behave during the bake; experiences with Splenda in the past have always been disappointing, as there was an”after taste” of saccharin, or something similar and the texture was slightly rubbery in cakes. Half Spoon Sugar on the other hand has the same texture as sugar and I was hopeful for a better baked result. Half Spoon Sugar is made by Silver Spoon and here is what they have to say about their product:
Real sugar, with all its taste and texture, is combined with a tiny amount of sweeteners to make Silver Spoon Half Spoon twice as sweet.
Use just like granulated sugar but only use half as much. This means half the calories.
For baking, use half the amount of Silver Spoon Half Spoon instead of the quantity of sugar stated in the recipe. The volume of the cooked recipes can be less in sponges and cakes, but adding additional baking powder to some recipes can help to overcome this.
Ingredients
Sugar, Sweeteners (*Aspartame, Acesulfame-K)
*Contains a source of phenylalanine.
Low Calorie Cranberry Rock Cakes/Buns
Well, they turned out really rather well; the texture was as a normal rock cake/bun and there was a nice soft crumb to them too. The taste was fine, a slight “after taste”, not as pronounced as Splenda, and the cranberries added their own natural sweetness. I managed to make nine rather large rock cakes, or volcanoes as my husband said, and we both enjoyed them with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I popped the rest of them into the freezer, as they are never as good next day, just like scones, but when eaten warm and fresh they were very nice. I am not so sure of the low calorie promise, as I thought that 75g (3 ozs) of butter was slightly in the high side – I normally use 50g (2 ozs) for my rock cakes, but I can adjust that next time I make them. It was an interesting baking challenge and the recipe which was on the Baking Mad site was easy to follow and worked perfectly. I have copied the recipe below for you to use if you fancy making a batch of these for the tea time table one day; the original recipe can be found here.
| Low Calorie Cranberry Rock Buns |
- 225 grams Self Raising Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly)
- 75 grams Margarine or butter
- 25 grams Half Spoon Granulated Sugar (Silver Spoon)
- 100 grams Dried Cranberries
- 1 Happy Eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp JUST MILK
- Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan oven 170°C, 375°F, Gas Mark 5. Lightly grease a baking tray.
- Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the margarine or butter and rub in until mixture becomes like breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar and cranberries
- Add the egg and stir in with milk until a stiff mixture is formed.
- Place small rocky piles of mixture onto the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and set.
See you later with some exciting news about a LOVELY Giveaway I have planned……it is a unique and beautiful item and I am very excited about it…..a hand-made British item that is really rather special! I will also be back as usual with more recipes, reviews and culinary tales. Karen
Choclette says
Love rock cakes Karen and I bet they are even more delicious with cranberries in them. Now if you’d just added a few dark choc chips, this could have been your WSC entry.
Karen says
I KNOW! Thought about adding some choc chops, but was unsure how healthy that would be! LOL!
Choclette says
Am truly shocked – OF COURSE chocolate is healthy 😉
Fuss Free Helen says
Lovely looking cakes Karen,
But I fail to see how using the half and half sugar leads to fewer calories.
I have been pondering this every since I was offered the samples.
Granted you have to use half the amount of sugar as it contains a very small amount of sweetner to boost its sweetness, BUT surely you have to put more flour in so the ratio of dry to wet ingredients is the same?
If you just half the sugar yes it will reduce the calorie content of the entire batch, but not per 100g?
If you ignore the calorie content of the sweetner (negligible), sugar and flour have identical calorie contents of 4KCal per g. Sugar is 100% carb. Flour is a mix of carbs with a little protein. Both have around the same volume.
Additionally most dried cranberries you buy in the UK have either concentrated fruit juice or sugar added to them, and weigh in at about 60 – 70% sugar.
Perhaps Baking Mad will step in to clear this one up?
Yours confusedly,
Helen
Karen says
Thanks Helen! I did query the calorie content in my post, but it was based on the fat content; however, I have looked up my normal Rock Cake/Bun recipe, and the ingredient quantities are interesting, and are as follows:
Flour = 225g – the same as the Baking Mad recipe
Fat/Butter = 100g – 25g MORE than the Baking Mad recipe, and more than I normally use
Dried fruit = 100g = the same as Baking Mad
Sugar = 50g – 25g MORE than Baking Mad
So, the flour is the same, the fat and sugar is more than the Baking Mad recipe…..I think that the claim for the Rock Cakes/Buns SHOULD be LOWER calorie, as opposed to Low Calorie, but you raised some VERY interesting points and have me thinking again, as I know that cranberries are higher in sugar than most other dried fruits too…..so, it is a puzzle! I rest my case, and that is that these little buns are LOWER calorie and NOT LOW calorie, what do you think Helen?
I am always sceptical about low calorie claims anyway, and instinctively know what is low cal and what is not – these are cakes, and therefore the science of how they are made indicates that they will never be low cal!
Thanks for your comments, Karen
Fuss Free Helen says
So your original recipe has 50g more ingredients than the BM one. I reckon that gram for gram of baked goods there is nothing in it calorie wise. But as the volume is less there will be fewer calories in total.
I can see that the half spoon sugar could be good for adding to tea or coffee or for sweeting things. And I suppose for diabetics or anyone that is sensitive to sugar.
Maybe bake a regular cake using half the quantities and serve with an apple?
Karen says
I have NEVER liked half sugar in baking; have tried splenda before and the texture was awful. The texture here was much better, but it still feels “light weight” ….if you know what I mean. I often make cakes with less sugar than is called for and they are always fine. Yes, I agree, half spoon is a great product for diabetics and beverages, but if you want less calories, I reckon it’s best not to eat cake!
What Kate Baked says
Rock Cakes were the very first bakes I learnt to make! I still love them- and what a delicious guilt-free version Karen!
Karen says
I made rock cakes at school in my first cooking lesson, and raspberry buns too! Thanks Kate!
Lauren says
To employ a cliché, I avoid any artificial sweeteners like the plague. I’m very sensitive to the aftertaste (and the plight of those lab rats!). Off my soapbox now–I still haven’t tried rock cakes (thanks for the reminder!) and the addition of cranberries sounds delightful.
Karen says
NOT that keen on sweeteners either – I an always sniff them out! This sugar was the best I have used so far though….
Janice (serialcrafter) says
rock cakes sound great esp with cranberries.
Karen says
They were lovely, just a tad too sweet for me, but nice all the same!
Fleur says
Wow! Those look great. Loving the print off recipe feature too.
Karen says
Thanks Fleur! The recipe plug in feature is great…..Karen x
Angela - Garden Tea Cakes and Me says
I adore Rock Cakes and always seem to have a batch in the freezer for those unexpected visitor to have with a cup of tea. Will definitely make them next time with Cranberries and as Choclette says will also throw in some chocolate chips.
Karen says
I would have thrown in some choc chips but it was a sponsored post for HEALTHY baking! LOL! Next time….
i-lostinausten says
Wow… these rock cakes looks soo yummy & tempting too! Lovely
Karen says
Thanks! They were simple to make and easier to eat! Karen xx
Karen says
Thanks! I hope you may be tempted to make some one day!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake says
No idea about the calorie content but when I made some carrot cake muffins using Splenda they tasted far better than the sugary lemon cupcakes served alongside! Rock cakes look yummy and I ought to have a peep in my Splenda book again.
Karen says
That is interesting Sarah – maybe I need to give Splenda another chance; I used it in a Victoria Sandwich cake and I was not impressed, but Carrot Cake Muffins sound wonderful and maybe they work better texture wise. Thanks Sarah.
Mary says
Love the look of the rock cakes – haven’t had any in ages! I’ve not had great result with Splenda – I tend to make everything with sucanant sugar which I really love, it’s supposed to be a bit better than regular sugar and has a lovely taste of cane sugar
mary x
Karen says
OH, I must look out for that sucanant sugar Mary, as I LOVE the flavour of cane sugar too!
simran kamath says
hi …..nostalgia time!rockcakes was my first baking attempt when i was 13…these ofcourse look really good and come across as pretty healthy….i got the email and have joined up again…love your space:)
Karen says
Thanks so much! Yes, Rock Cakes are PURE nostalgia!
Marie says
They do look good Karen, but I am leery of using sugar subs in my recipes. I would rather just indulge less often and use the real thing. Have you seen that new sugar sub made with stevia. I forget what it’s called. Supposedly it is quite good and has no aftertaste whatsoever.
Karen says
As you may have read in the comments, I am not a lover of low calorie sugars either…….I have not seen that new sugar, will look out for it!
Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb says
Hi Karen!
First of all congrats to your blog move, it looks great!
I wish I had more time to come by your site, I am sorry for missing all your awesome recipes.
your cakesbun looks very tempting, it would perfectly fit with my hot cup of coffee right now. I wouldnt use sweetener. those give u the feeling of eating more.
one more thing, your photos are gorgeous. I d love to pick the buns out of my laptop!
Karen says
Merci Helene! Whenever you have time to visit that is brilliant, I am late replying to my favourite blogs lately too!
Mari says
Hi Karen, I did this challenge too, I chose the Blueberry Muffins as my girls adore blueberries, they came out very well and we were all pleased with the results.
I understand some people have an aversion to low calorie sugar but if it means I can have my cake and eat it too (without ruining my waistline) I’m all for it!
Happy Baking x
Karen says
I thought about making the blueberry muffins but decided on the old fashioned rock cakes! Happy Baking to you too….Karen
Brownieville Girl says
Karen – just love your new blog, so pretty!
Rock buns remind me of boarding school – they were our afterschool treat…. every single day!!!!!! Can’t imagine I’ll ever eat them again!
Karen says
Thanks so much! Rock cakes are very Enid Blyton I agree!
Colin Bragg says
Wow these look amazing. Havent eaten a rock cake for years. Might have to make some 🙂
Kay Chilton says
I used soft brown sugar and they tasted great, sorry stevia, Splenda etc leave a horrible after taste, u could also use a little honey perhaps.