After receiving a sample of the recently launched Speculaas spice, based on Steven Vandotsch's Dutch grandmother's recipe, I thought… why not spice up my grandmother's traditional rock cake recipe? Her recipe didn't include spice (possibly due to availability when she first started making them), but you'll find rock cake recipes which do use cinnamon and/or mixed spice.
The Speculaas spice is a mix of nine different spices - the main one being organic real cinnamon from Sri Lanka. It can be used in most recipes where regular cinnamon (cassia) is the main flavouring ingredient. The aroma is very warm and inviting and the spice transformed my rock cakes, with its sweet complexity.Very more-ish.
My rock cakes turned out less 'rocky' than my grandmother's - which I suspect was because I added just a touch too much milk. They should look like little pointed rocks.
Here's what they looked like inside - incredibly crumbly and aromatic - and perfect with a cup of tea. Slice open and spread with butter if you wish.
I've estimated the calories in each rock cake below. Here's the recipe my grandmother always used infused with the Speculaas spice:
