Hot cross bun cupcakes

Ingredients (makes 12)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
100ml whole milk
175g unsalted butter
175g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
175g  soft light brown sugar
2 tsp mixed spice
100g ground almonds
3 large eggs, beaten
Zest of 3/4 orange
100g raisins or sultanas
1 medium eating apple, peeled & grated
1 tbsp. apricot jam, warmed with a splash of water
For the spiced buttercream:
Zest of 1/4 orange
50g full fat cream cheese
50g icing sugar
25g butter, softened
1/4 tsp mixed spice

1. Combine lemon juice & milk in a large jug and set aside for 5 mins. Meanwhile, pre heat oven to 180C/Gas mark 4 and melt butter in a saucepan. Use a little of the butter to grease a 12-hole muffin tin.

2. Put flour, baking powder, sugar, spice, almonds and a pinch of salt into a large bowl, then sift through it with your fingers to squash any lumps of sugar. Beat the eggs, zest and melted butter into the thickened milk. Pour this into the dry ingredients, then beat with a balloon whisk until even.

3. Stir in the dried fruit and apple, scoop the mixture in to the tin and bake for 18-20 mins until golden and well risen. Cool for 10 mins in the tin then remove to a rack.

4. When the buns are cold, cut a cross from the top of each one using a serrated knife, then brush the tops with the apricot jam. For the spiced buttercream, beat everything together until creamy and pale. Pipe the buttercream into the crosses. Alternatively, simply glaze the buns and pipe crosses across the tops.

Quick Chocolate Brownies

These are very quick and easy and always turn out well. Might be useful to use up any left over Easter chocolate.... This recipe makes 16 brownies.

INGREDIENTS:
45g / 1 1/2 ozcocoa
125 g / 4 oz butter
2 eggs
225g / 8 oz caster sugar
60 g / 2 oz self-raising flour
100 g / 3 1/2 oz chopped chocolate or nuts (optional)

METHOD
You need a 20 cm / 8 inch square baking pan, greased and lined with baking paper. Preheat oven to Gas 4.

Melt the butter with the cocoa in a pan or microwave. Leave aside to cool.

Whisk the eggs with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time. Mix in the cooled cocoa mixture. Sieve in the flour and fold in carefully. Add the chocolate / nuts if using.

Pour into the pan and bake for 25 - 35 mins until cooked through and springy, but don't over cook. Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes then turn out and cut up!

Butterscotch cream pie

6-8 oz rich shortcrust pastry
For filling
2 oz bitter
4 oz dark brown sugar
1/4 pint boiling water
2 tbs cornflour
1 tbs flour
large pinch salt
1/2 pint milk
2 egg yolks beaten
2 drops vanilla essence

8 inch diameter flan ring

Method
1) line the flan ring with pastry, blind bake and chill cooked flan case
2) melt butter and when golden brown add the brown sugar, stir until foaming and boil for 2-3 mins
3) remove from heat and stir in boiling water
4) place the cornflour, flour and salt in a saucepan and mix to a smooth paste with the milk, then add the brown sugar mixture
5) stir over gentle heat until boiling and cook for 1 minute
6) pour half the mixture on the beaten yolks, return mixture to the pan and continue to cook for 1 minute, add vanilla essence
7) pour the mixture into the baked pastry flan and chill flan.

Fatless sponge

2 eggs
75 g (3 oz) caster sugar
75 g (3 oz) self raising flour

1) heat oven to 180 c, gas mark 4. grease a 18cm (7 inch) cake tin
2) whisk eggs lightly in a bowl, add sugar and whisk until thick, creamy and almost white in colour
3) lightly fold in flour. place in prepared tin and bake for 30 mins

starting German friendship cake...

If you want to start one from scratch then here is the original recipe...as I've given my 3 away and baked the 4th (very yummy BTW) I may use this unless another one comes my way soon! You have to read to the bottom to find the recipe for the starter mix...

http://www.hermanthegermanfriendshipcake.com/

WANTED!

I have had a particular request for cup cake recipes from a friend who got a cup cake maker for Christmas. Any out there, especially if unusual...

Tea Loaf

this is a weightwatchers recipe which can be adapted to normal, non calorie counting members of the population with the addition of a thick layer of butter on each slice...

take
125g brown sugar
125g mixed fruit
250 ml cold tea
soak the above overnight (or, if in a hurry, just stir together)
add 
300g self raising flour
1 beaten egg
and mix well together
bake for 1hour, 15 mins
at 160 degrees C/320 degrees F/433 Kelvin/Gas Mark3 in a 2lb loaf tin (silicon one is best)

This freezes very well, but if in the vicinity of any bods, won't last long as very more-ish. It can be easily adapted by adding different fruits, nuts etc.... If any STU readers do this please add variations in the feedback. That is asuming there are people out there reading? Still looking for contributors...

Breakfast Munching Muffins

useful if you always end up going out the door without breakfast in your tum cos you're running late...

100g/4 oz ready to eat apricots, chopped
4 tbs orange juice
2 large eggs
142ml carton soured cream
100 ml/3 1/2 fl oz sunflower oil
85g/3oz golden caster sugar
300g/10oz self raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
50g/2oz crunchy muesli
12 heaped tsp marmalade

FOR THE TOPPING
50g/2 oz light muscovado sugar
2 tbs sunflower oil
50g/2 oz crunchy muesli

1) preheat oven to 190 c/gas mark 5/ fan oven 170 c
2) beat eggs, mix in soured cream, oil and sugar. stir into the apricot mixture. put the flour, baking powder and muesli in a large bowl, then gently stir in the apricot mixture. don' t overmix.
3) spoon into 12 muffin cases.dip thumb in a little flour, then make a deep thumbprint in each muffin. fill with marmalade.
4) combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of muffins. bake for 25-30 mins until well risen and golden.

Tiffin (or refrigerator cake), makes 15 portions

Makes approx 15 portions

a) 225g/8oz butter

(approx whole bar)

b) 2 tbs sugar

c) 4 tbs cocoa

d) 2 tbs golden syrup

e) 110g/4oz mixed fruit

-------------------------

f) 325g/12oz crushed biscuits (digestives or fruit shortcake)

g) 225g/8oz milk choc

(this is a min amount, double amount for more choc on top J)

1) Melt a)-e) in a saucepan over a moderate heat until all melted

2) Add f) and stir well

3) Press into a lined “swiss roll tin” (with bake well or greaseproof) approx 19cm x 30cm until mixture all flattened out

4) Leave on one side

5) Meanwhile melt chocolate in a Pyrex bowl over simmering water

6) Pour choc over mixture and spread out so all of base is covered

7) Leave for 15 mins

8) Use a small sharp knife to score into portions

9) Leave in tin and put in fridge for an hour

10) Break up into portions… if stored must be refrigerated

Rocky Road Bars, (makes 16)

225g/8oz butter
115g/4oz dark chocolate coarsely broken up
30ml/2 tbs caster sugar
30ml/2 tbs golden syrup
30ml/2 tbs cocoa powder
350g/12oz mixed digestive biscuits and ginger nuts
50g/2oz marshmallows
75g/3oz mixed white and milk choc chips

1) Line a 20cm/8in, about 2cm/1 inch deep square cake tin with baking parchment. Melt butter, chocolate, sugar, syrup and cocoa gently over a low heat until melted (or microwave, stirring every 20 seconds).

2) Put the biscuits in a large plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin. Stir into mixture with marshmallows and choc chips mixing everything well together.

3) Spoon mixture into tin but don't press down; should look like a Rocky Road! Chill for at least an hour.

4) Remove from tin and cut into 16 bars. If you like, dust with icing sugar before serving.

Chocolate Biscotti (makes 16)

Ingredients:
1 egg
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50g plain chocolate, chopped roughly
50g toasted flaked almonds
50g pine nuts

• Pre-heat oven to Gas 4/180 C/ 350F
• Grease a large baking sheet
• Whisk the egg, sugar and vanilla essence into a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until it is thick and pale, ribbons of mixture should trail from the whisk as you lift it.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a separate bowl, then sieve into the egg mixture and fold in gently, Stir in the chocolate, almonds and pine nuts.
• Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and shape into a flat log about 23cm/9 inches long and 1 1/2 cm or 3/4 inch high. Transfer onto a baking sheet.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes until firm.
• Transfer to a cutting board. use a serrated knife to cut into slices about 1 cm.or 1/2 inch thick and arrange onto the baking sheet. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack.