Fill the house with deliciously spiced notes with some Easter treats that will have the crowds coming back for more.... and more...
The ultimate bread & butter pudding
Serves 6
Turn your morning tea treat into the perfect dessert using hot cross buns baked in a delicious silky orange custard.
Ingredients
60g butter, at room temperature
5-6 hot cross buns, ripped in half
¼ cup apricot jam
300ml milk
250ml cream
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp Cointreau or other orange liqueur (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange, finely grated zest only
Vanilla ice cream or cream, to serve
Directions
1. Use a little of the butter to lightly grease a 24cm ovenproof baking dish. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
2. Spread the remaining butter on one side of each bun half. Arrange in the dish, leaving plenty of edges poking up to go crunchy. Dollop the jam over the top.
3. Whisk the milk, cream, eggs, egg yolks, sugar, Cointreau, vanilla and orange zest together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the custard mixture over the buns and leave to soak in for half an hour. You may have to do this in two batches for it to be absorbed.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the custard is set in the middle and the edges are golden and crunchy. Rest for 10 minutes then serve with ice cream or cream.
- Recipe by Claire Aldous
Baked cinnamon sugar doughnut cakes
Makes 9
These delicious puffs of cinnamon and sugar are not a yeasted doughnut but a simple two-step method that relies on gentle mixing when making the batter. A great recipe to bake with your kids. Eat while still warm.
Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
½ cup caster sugar
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup milk
1 large egg, size 7
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
To finish
½ cup caster sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup melted butter
Directions
1. Lightly grease 9 holes of a standard muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the milk, egg, butter and vanilla together then pour onto the flour mixture. Gently but thoroughly stir together but
don't overbeat.
4. Divide the batter between the holes of the prepared tin and bake for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden.
5. To finish: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
6. When cool enough to handle and working with one cake at a time, brush it lightly all over with melted butter then toss in the sugar to coat on all sides. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
- Recipe Claire Aldous
Spiced caramel doughnuts with salted caramel filling
Makes 18
Best eaten on the day of making, these golden doughnuts will brighten any occasion.
Ingredients
Doughnuts
8g instant dry yeast
¼ cup caster sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
3¼ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 large egg, size 7
1 large egg yolk, size 7
80g butter, melted
1.25L high-smoke-point cooking oil
Salted caramel filling
1 Tbsp cornflour
1 Tbsp cream
1 cup store-bought salted caramel sauce (or see recipe here)
15g butter
Vanilla mascarpone
200g mascarpone
150g sour cream
3 Tbsp icing sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
Spiced sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
½ cup caster sugar
Directions
1. For the doughnuts: Whisk the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar into the warmed milk and leave to sit for 8–10 minutes or until frothy on top.
2. Put the flour, remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon and ginger in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
3. In a separate jug, whisk the whole egg, yolk and 70 grams of the melted butter. Add the yeast and egg mixtures to the stand mixer and mix for 1 minute. Swap to the dough hook attachment and mix for 5–8 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
4. Use the remaining butter to lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.
5. Punch down the dough, then break off pieces and roll into about 18 balls. Place the balls well spaced apart on baking paper-lined trays and leave to sit for another 30 minutes.
6. For the salted caramel filling: Whisk the cornflour with the cream. Heat the salted caramel sauce to lukewarm, then whisk in the cornflour mixture. Add the butter and heat in 30-second bursts in the microwave (or in a pot on the stovetop) whisking in between, until thickened. Refrigerate for 2 hours before using as a filling.
7. For the vanilla mascarpone: Beat all the ingredients together until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.
8: For the spiced sugar: Combine all ingredients on a plate and set aside until ready to use.
9. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan and cook the doughnuts for 2–3 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking, until golden. Drain on kitchen towels and roll in the spiced sugar, then leave to cool for an hour.
10. To assemble: To fill the doughnuts, use a piping bag with a long piping tip to poke deep into the doughnut. First, give a good squirt of vanilla mascarpone in all of them, clean the bag and nozzle and repeat with the salted caramel.
Cook's note: If you leave the caramel to become deep amber it may get too bitter as the residual heat will keep cooking the sugar even when removed from the heat.
- Recipe by Sarah Tuck
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