Hot Cross Buns – Traditional and Chocolate!

One of the best things about working in the education system is getting time off work during the school holidays. And time off work means one thing: lots of time for baking. Winner!

With Easter coming up this weekend, I had the perfect excuse to fire up the oven. Who doesn’t love hot cross buns, really? Even if you don’t like the traditional fruit version (although I find this mind boggling, they’re too delicious to pass up!), I’ve got a decadent chocolate variety which seems to be a crowd pleaser for adults and children alike. I realise that hot cross buns aren’t a Good Friday staple everywhere, so if you’re from a country that has sadly deprived you of this Eastery goodness, then I highly recommend you give them a go. Your taste buds will thank you on bended knee!

Don’t be too nervous about the whole yeast/dough/rising/time consuming fiasco, either. These really are incredibly simple to make; time consuming, yes, but ridiculously easy and so worth your patience.

Let’s kick off with a bit of tradition…

HOT CROSS BUNS

4 1/3 cups strong bread flour (or plain flour, if you can’t find this)

2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

1/4 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups mixed dried fruit of your choice (I went with sultanas, currants, raisins and citrus peel)

Zest and juice of 1 orange

40g butter

300ml milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Extra flour, if necessary

FLOUR PASTE

½ cup flour

5 tablespoons water

GLAZE

2 tablespoons apricot jam

MAKES 12 BUNS

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the dried fruit with the zest and juice of the orange.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the milk, heating for about  a minute, until lukewarm. Add the warm milk mixture, fruit mixture and eggs to the flour. Using a low speed and paddle attachment on your stand mixer  (or a flat bladed knife if you’re working by hand) mix until the dough starts to come together.

Switch to a dough hook attachment and set on low speed for 5 – 7 minutes, or use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough and then knead on a floured board for ten minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add extra flour, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too runny/too sticky.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

Line a large, deep roasting dish with foil or baking paper and set aside. Punch the dough down using your fists to its original size, then knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Cut the dough in half, then roll each half into a long, smooth log and cut the logs into six even sized pieces.

Shape each piece into a ball and roll round in your hands to smooth them. Place the balls into the lined dish, about 1cm apart.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (that’s 375 degrees Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 5).

Now make the flour paste for the crosses. Mix the flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a bit of extra water if paste is too thick. Place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses.

Bake the buns for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are cooked through and golden.

Finally, make the glaze. Place 2 tablespoons of apricot jam in a bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, until melted. Brush the melted jam over the warm hot cross buns as soon as they’re out of the oven. Serve the buns warm or at room temperature – preferably with lashings of butter, either way – and enjoy!

And now, just in case you’re not getting enough chocolate already over Easter, let’s crack on with a new take on the old classic. This recipe is an adaptation of the one listed above, so I’ve skipped several photos in the step-by-steps (what’s the point of repeating them?). I had no idea that these aren’t widespread in England; back in Australia (at least, the part that I’m from) chocolate chip hot cross buns are almost as prevalent as the traditional variety. If you’ve never tried one, they make a delicious and gorgeously indulgent treat. I mean, really. It’s Easter. The more chocolate, the merrier!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE HOT CROSS BUNS

4 cups strong bread flour (or plain flour, if you can’t find this)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used white and dark varieties)

150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

40g butter

300ml milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Extra flour, if necessary

FLOUR PASTE

½ cup flour

5 tablespoons water

GLAZE

1/3 cup water

3 tablespoons caster sugar

MAKES 12 BUNS

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips in a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the milk, heating for about  a minute, until lukewarm. Add the warm milk mixture, fruit mixture and eggs to the flour. Using a low speed and paddle attachment on your stand mixer  (or a flat bladed knife if you’re working by hand) mix until the dough starts to come together.

Switch to a dough hook attachment and set on low speed for 5 – 7 minutes, or use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough and then knead on a floured board for ten minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add extra flour, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too runny/too sticky. In the last minute or so of kneading, add the chopped chocolate pieces to the dough.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

Line a large, deep roasting dish with foil or baking paper and set aside. Punch the dough down using your fists to its original size, then knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Cut the dough in half, then roll each half into a long, smooth log and cut the logs into six even sized pieces.

Shape each piece into a ball and roll round in your hands to smooth them. Place the balls into the lined dish, about 1cm apart.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (that’s 375 degrees Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 5).

Now make the flour paste for the crosses. Mix the flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a bit of extra water if paste is too thick. Place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses.

Bake the buns for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Finally, make the glaze. Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and allow to boil for five minutes. Brush the warm glaze over the hot cross buns once they’re out of the oven.

Serve the buns warm or at room temperature – preferably with lashings of butter, either way – and enjoy!

Happy Easter – however you celebrate, wherever you are and whatever you believe. x

The Ultimate, Award Winning(!) Chocolate Raspberry Cake

It’s been a good week.

Reason One: Remember those job interviews I mentioned? I went to the first one, and I GOT IT. Huzzah! This is an excellent thing; jobs mean a reason to get up in the morning and, of course, money. And money equals the ability to finally start planning for The Husband and I to move into our own place. Oh, yes!

Reason Two: Do you also remember that I told you I’d ordered the new cookbook by the amazing Marian Keyes? It arrived, and it’s AMAZING. There are so many things in there that I’m desperate to try. I honestly can’t wait to have an excuse to get baking! Seriously, get your hands on this if you can. Not only is it a treasure trove of awesome recipes, but it’s also scattered with honest, witty, hilarious, devastating and heartbreaking insights into her battle with depression. As someone who has had to deal with and continues to deal with similar, though markedly milder, mental health issues, I cannot recommend this enough to everyone.

Reason Three: Finally, do you remember me saying that I had another reason to bake last week? Well, here it is. I entered a cake baking competition. Not something I’ve ever done or even considered doing before, but it all went fantastically well. My friend Jo and I discovered that Bodiam Castle, which is only about 1.5 hours away from where we live, was holding the competition. We’re both not-so-secret history geeks, so this seemed like the perfect excuse to drive out there – bake a cake, drop it off, fill in an entry form and then wander around the castle for the rest of the afternoon. Perfection!

What I WASN’T expecting was to win. YES, WIN. Me. I pretty much never win anything, so it came as a huge shock to me!

I’ll apologise in advance for the state of my photography in this entry; it was all a bit rushed and pictures were being snapped as I flung myself around the kitchen in a desperate bid to assemble the cake before we had to leave.

THE ULTIMATE, AWARD WINNING(!) CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE

For the cake:

400g dark chocolate

400g butter

2 tbsp instant coffee

170g self raising flour

170g plain flour

1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

400g dark brown sugar

400g castor sugar

60g cocoa powder

6 medium eggs

170ml sour cream

250g raspberries

curled/shaved/grated white chocolate, to decorate

curled/shaved/grated dark chocolate, to decorate

For the ganache:

230g dark chocolate

260ml double pouring cream

2 tbsp castor sugar

Grease and line two 10 inch cake tins and preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius (fan oven) or 160 degrees Celsius (conventional oven) (280 degrees Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 2). Meanwhile, break up the dark chocolate into pieces and place in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the broken up chocolate, then mix the coffee into 250ml of cold water and add to the saucepan. Heat over a low heat until everything is just melted, stirring occasionally to help combine.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the self-raising flour, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, brown sugar, castor sugar and cocoa powder, combining with your hands to remove all the lumps. In another small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sour cream.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the whisked egg and sour cream into the flour mixture, stirring well to combine. The batter should have quite a smooth, runny consistency. Divide the mixture evenly and pour into the two tins, then bake for 85 minutes – 90 minutes, until the top of the cakes are firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 – 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, make the ganache. Break the dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan, add the castor sugar, and heat on medium heat until just before it boils. Take the cream off the heat and pour it over the chocolate, leaving it to stand for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Now, assemble the cake. Place one of the cakes on a serving platter and spread one quarter – one third of the ganache over the top, leaving a narrow gap around the perimeter of the cake.

Arrange two thirds of the raspberries over the ganache in a circular pattern, placing them around the outer edge of the cake and working your way in, making smaller and smaller circles of raspberries until you reach the centre of the cake.

Drizzle 2 – 3 tablespoons of ganache lightly over the raspberries.

Next, place 3 heaped tablespoons of ganache on the other cake (on the side which is going to be sandwiched onto the bottom layer) and spread it so that it lightly covers the surface, once again leaving a gap around the perimeter.

Place this cake on top of the first, ganache side down, and press down very gently to sandwich together.

Pour the rest of the ganache over the cake, pushing it towards the edges with the back of a metal spoon and letting it fall down the sides of the cake.

Decorate with grated/curled/shaved dark and white chocolate and top with remaining raspberries in the centre.

That’s it!

After the super quick cake assembly, Jo, The Husband and I all bundled into the car and headed for Bodiam. After a fun filled drive getting completely and utterly lost down the narrow, winding country lanes and wasting a good hour trying to find our way back to the main road, we arrived – cake miraculously intact!

And here’s my trophy!

A big thank you and congratulations goes out to designated driver and fellow competitor Jo, whose cake made it into the final seven!

xxx

Triple Choc-Chip & Peanut Cookies

My husband and I are still house sitting for my dad, which means that I have plenty of time to bake at any time of the day or night – bliss! (Hey, it’s the small things…). Woo hoo!

Today has been the first semi-hot day of the season – only about 35 degrees Celsius (or 93 Fahrenheit), but you know how that first hot day in late spring pretty much knocks you for six? Well, that’s what today has been like, so cranking up the temperature on the oven probably wasn’t the best idea when it came to keeping the house cool…but we did end up with a nice big batch of cookies, so it was worth the added heat!

This is actually the first time in years that I’ve deviated even slightly from my usual choc-chip cookie recipe, but I couldn’t help it. My dad has a massive container full of peanuts in the cupboard, and they’ve been calling to me. So, here we are:  Triple Choc-Chip & Peanut Cookies!

I know that you probably have a favourite choc-chip cookie recipe which you’re reluctant to part with, but if you want a bit of a change, give this one a go. They’ve already been given the thumbs up from The Official Taste Tester (AKA my husband), and I’m quite pleased with them overall. I wouldn’t make the peanut addition a permanent feature, but it’s really wonderful when you’re looking for a tasty change.

I’m actually not 100% sure where the basic recipe came from originally. It’s written on an ingredient-stained, crumpled scrap of paper that has been sitting in my mum’s recipe folder for as long as I can remember…so credit goes to her on this one!

TRIPLE CHOC-CHIP & PEANUT COOKIES

150g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

A pinch of cinnamon

1 egg

1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

1 – 3 tablespoons milk (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 3) and line 3 baking trays with greaseproof baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar for 2 – 3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and the egg and beat well. Sprinkle in a pinch of cinnamon and mix to combine.

Add the plain flour and mix gently until just combined. Pour chocolate chips and peanuts over the dough and fold through.

If your dough is too thick add some milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough becomes soft and slightly sticky. Spoon heaped tablespoons of mixture onto the baking trays, pressing each cookie down lightly with your fingertips to flatten.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes if you like soft-centred cookies, or bake for 10 – 13 minutes if you like your cookies to have more of a crunch. Cookies should be lightly browned when cooked.

Leave to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes

Things have been pretty insane lately. My husband and I are in the process of applying for a visa for me to move back to his home country (England) in January. Who knew it would be so draining? We’re exhausted and frustrated. There’s one good part, though – stress makes me want to bake. A lot. There’s just something so soothing about beating the hell out of the butter you’re creaming, you know?

And so, after a rather stressful afternoon which was blighted by a maddening lack of progress, I pulled out the baking equipment.

We’re currently house sitting for my dad, who has only recently moved in here and therefore has several distinct gaps in his collections of cooking utensils/bakeware/basic ingredients. I’ve brought a few bits and pieces with me from home – my electric hand-held beaters, cupcake papers and piping tips – so I had a bit of a rifle around in the kitchen cupboards. After eventually finding self raising flour, muffin trays, vanilla extract, brown sugar and a large jar of raspberry jam, my lovely husband traipsed to the supermarket to fetch me some white chocolate buttons, white chocolate chips and icing sugar.

While he was gone I did a quick Google search (the one key thing I forgot to bring with me was at least one recipe book – drat!) and found a recipe to use as a base for my idea: White Chocolate and Raspberry cupcakes. Let’s face it, it’s a great combination; our wedding cake was actually a White Chocolate and Raspberry Swirl Mudcake, so I think I’ll always have a bit of a soft spot for it!  The following recipe is my take on the gorgeous kitchen goddess Nigella Lawson’s original recipe.

WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

250g salted butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups self raising flour, sifted

4 heaped tablespoons raspberry jam

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 4) and line one 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake papers.

Melt the butter in the microwave in a heatproof bowl, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t bubble up or burn. Once the butter is just melted, whisk in the brown sugar and leave the mixture for a minute or two to allow it to cool. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine, before adding the milk and vanilla. Slowly add the flour and whisk very gently until just combined, then fold in the jam and white chocolate chips. Don’t worry if the mixture appears rather dark; it’s just the brown sugar!

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake papers, filling around 3/4 full. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes (though have a peek at them after 10 minutes – once they get going they cook quickly!) until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning the cupcakes out and placing them on a cooling rack to come to room temperature.

Makes 12-14 medium-sized cupcakes.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

200g salted butter, softened

8 cups icing sugar, sifted

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

150g white chocolate buttons, melted

Cream the butter with an electric beater for 2-3 minutes, until light in colour and creamy. Add the milk, vanilla extract and half of the sifted icing sugar and beat again for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is soft, light and fluffy. Add the remaining icing sugar and repeat. Place the chocolate buttons in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring and returning to the microwave until the chocolate has melted. Be careful not to overcook it!

Working quickly, add the melted chocolate into the icing mixture and beat until well combined.

Frost cooled cupcakes with the buttercream and decorate with White Chocolate Hearts.

WHITE CHOCOLATE HEARTS

150g white chocolate buttons

Using the same melting method as above, melt the white chocolate buttons in the microwave. Then, using a piping bag fitted with a round-hole piping tip (I used Wilton brand #5 Round Tip), pipe lines of the melted chocolate onto a baking tray covered in baking paper, topping each stick with a piped heart-shape. Don’t worry about making them perfect – they’ll look adorable, I promise! Allow to cool to room temperature before gently sticking each completed heart into the frosted cupcakes.

I was a little concerned when I first pulled the cupcakes out of the oven. They were much darker around the edges than I would have liked them to be, which I put down to the sugar content – although I’d actually decreased it compared to the original recipe I based this on! However, once they were frosted and I cut into one, I saw that they’re not actually burnt at all, and they taste lovely. The cupcakes themselves are actually beautifully fluffy with a lovely, subtle raspberry tang, and the buttercream has just the right hint of white chocolate without being sickly sweet. Yum!

As a side note, today was the first time I’ve stepped out of my piping-tip-comfort-zone and used a closed star tip. Shock, horror! I must admit that I was a little nervous, as I love my usual open-star tip, but I’ve seen so many photos lately of pretty, ruffled frosting that I wanted to give it a go. I only did half with the closed-star ruffle tip, though – I couldn’t quite shake off the urge to go back to my open-star safety blanket. What can I say? Old habits die hard. I am pleased with the closed-tip results, though. I think I’m in love with the ruffled look!