Easy Hot Cross Buns

Yes, More Easter Baking from me. Here is my very first attempt at "Hot Cross Buns".
There was no "mixed spice" in my cupboard as Mary Berry suggested to use.
So, I just made up my own "mixed spice" with what I had in the cupboard.
I also found out I had run out of plain flower to make the "cross" decoration. So, instead, I used icing to make the cross.
Result? Surprisingly, the smell of "hot cross buns" came from the oven.
Obviously, these are not text book Hot Cross Buns, but I'm a happy bunny. :)

Ingredients

• 250g strong white flour
  
• 20g caster sugar
• 7g easy-action yeast
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 50g unsalted butter softened or low-fat spread
• 80ml milk
• zest of 1 orange
• 50g sultanas
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• a pinch of ground coriander

Method

1. Put all the ingredients, apart from the sultanas, in a bowl and mix together with an electric whisk with dough hooks for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes a ball. If the dough struggles to come together add 10ml more milk to make it very sticky. 
2. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the dough in a warm place until it doubles in size. 
   
3. Knock down the air and mix in the sultanas and orange zest with your hands with some oil.
4. Shape the dough and place it in the baking tray and bake in a preheated oven (140c fan) for 10 minutes.
5. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 120c and bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Take the bread from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Then brush with syrup (some sugar and water). Decorate with icing.

Gingerbread Miffy

Happy Easter, Everyone. 

I know chocolate eggs are the usual Easter treat, but how about these gingerbread Miffy biscuits?

Great wee pressie for Miffy lovers. :) 

Ingredients

• 350g (12oz) plain flour 
  
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g (4oz) butter, cubed
• 175g (6oz) light muscovado sugar
• 1 egg
• 4Tbsp golden syrup

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Line two baking trays with nonstick baking paper. In a food processor, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon. Add the butter and pulse until it has been incorporated. Add the sugar and pulse a further 3-4 times.
2. In a bowl, put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers. Mix in the remaining ingredients with a wooden spoon, before bringing the gingerbread dough together by hand together the egg and golden syrup with a fork. (Alternatively put all the ingredients into the food processor and whizz until the mixture comes together in sticky clumps.) Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in clingfilm; chill for 30 minutes.
3. On a large sheet of lightly floured, nonstick baking paper, roll out half the dough to roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Using a biscuit cutter, (I found a Miffy biscuit cutter on eBay) stamp out some shapes. Arrange on one of the prepared trays and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Easter Lemon Cake

One of my favourite lemon drizzle cakes dressed for Easter.

Ingredients 

• 225g/8oz butter (or low-fat spread if you prefer), softened
• 225g/8oz caster sugar

• 225g/8oz self raising flour, sifted 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• zest of 1 lemon
• 4 medium size eggs

      For the drizzle topping

• juice of 1 lemon
• 85g caster sugar

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ Fan160C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a (20cm) round, deep loose-based tin and line with baking parchment.
2. Place the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Use an electric whisk to beat the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, whisking well between additions and adding 2 tbsp of the flour with the last egg - this will prevent curdling.
3. Sift over the remaining flour, then gently fold in with a metal spoon along with 2 tbsp hot water. Spoon into the prepared tin, level the surface and bake for 45-50 mins or until it is shrinking away from the sides of the tin. A fine skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 mins.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice, then sieve to remove the bits. Use the fine skewer to prick the cake all over, pour over the syrup, then sprinkle over the sugar before removing the cake from the tin. Serve in wedges.

You could decorate the cake with icing (icing sugar and lemon juice) and chocolate mini-eggs for Easter.