Edinburgh Rock
A traditional Scottish sweet featuring delicate pastel colours and a distinctively soft, powdery texture that melts immediately on the tongue.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 160 kcal
Equipment
- •Sugar thermometer
- •Heavy-based saucepan
- •Baking tray
- •Kitchen scissors
- •Greaseproof paper
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- fat
- 0 g
- carbs
- 40 g
- fibre
- 0 g
- protein
- 0 g
- calories
- 160 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and dust lightly with icing sugar.
- 2
Combine sugar, water, liquid glucose, and cream of tartar in a heavy-based saucepan.
- 3
Heat gently on the hob, stirring until all sugar granules dissolve completely.
- 4
Bring the syrup to a boil without stirring until the thermometer reaches 125°C.
- 5
Pour the hot syrup immediately onto the lined baking tray to cool slightly.
- 6
Divide the cooling syrup into three portions for individual colours and flavourings.
- 7
Add one flavour and one colour drop to each separate portion.
- 8
Pull and stretch each portion repeatedly with clean hands until pale and satin-like.
- 9
Roll each aerated piece into long, finger-thick ropes on a lightly dusted surface.
- 10
Snip each rope into bite-sized lengths using clean kitchen scissors.
- 11
Lay the pieces on greaseproof paper in a warm, dry room for forty-eight hours until chalky.
Chef's tips
Do not stir the syrup once it boils to prevent premature crystallisation. The iconic crumbly texture develops only after the pulled sticks sit in a dry, warm cupboard for two to three days.
Ingredient substitutions
- liquid glucose → light corn syrup
- raspberry extract → rosewater or vanilla extract
Storage
Store in an airtight tin lined with greaseproof paper in a dry cupboard for up to one month.
Reheating
Do not reheat this confection, as heat will dissolve its delicate crystalline structure.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Eating the candy immediately before it has rested and developed its soft, powdery texture.
- •Letting the sugar mixture boil past 125°C, which makes the finished candy brittle instead of crumbly.
- •Stirring boiling sugar, which causes crystals to form too early.
Serving suggestions
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