Roksai (Lithuanian Rock Cakes)
Roksai are small, craggy, buttery cakes studded with raisins, with a crisp outside and a soft crumb. The dough comes together in one bowl, there is no mixer and no rolling, and the sour cream (grietinė) gives them a tender, slightly tangy crumb.
Equipment
- Large Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups + 2 tablespoon (225 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoon (75 g) granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoon baking powder
- 9 tablespoon (125 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (150 g) raisins
- 1 large egg
- 1 heaped tbsp (30 g) full-fat sour cream, plus up to 1 teaspoon more if needed
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two sheets if yours are small.
- Rub in the butter. Whisk the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the egg, sour cream and vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Make the dough. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until everything just clumps together into a thick, shaggy dough. If dry patches of flour remain, add another teaspoon of sour cream. Stop as soon as no dry flour is left.
- Shape. Scoop 9 rough mounds, about 2 heaped tablespoons each, onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between them. Don't smooth them. The craggy edges are the point. TIP: if your butter has softened a lot in this time, place the shet in the frigde (or even freezer) for 15 minutes , so the butter to firm up. This will control the spread.
- Bake. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Start checking at 12 minutes. See notes for what to do if they spread too much.
- Cool. Leave them on the tray for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. They are best eaten warm, dusted with powdered sugar.
Notes
Keep the butter cold. Warm butter melts into the flour and gives you flat, greasy roksai instead of tender, crumbly ones.
Don't overmix. Overworking the dough makes the cakes tough.
Use full-fat sour cream. Low-fat versions are runnier and can make the dough sticky.
If they're spreading. If you see your roksai spreading in the oven, open the oven after about 8 minutes, and use a large round cookie cutter to bring them back into shape.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They are at their best on the day they're baked, so a quick warm-up in the oven revives them.
Freezing: Freeze baked roksai for up to 2 months and warm them through from frozen.