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Mixed Fruit Scones
Cheesy Curry Scones
OMG! What can I say, these are super tasty and very moreish. I do love a good scone, especially with butter & jam but I wanted to try something a bit different, we were having some pakora for dinner (Irn-Bru Chicken pakora recipe here https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2021/05/16/irn-bru-chicken-pakora/) so decided to try an Indian inspired flavour to go with. The curry powder lends that nice warmth of Indian spices to the cheese without being overbearing.
These scones are simple and quick to make, you can also change up the spices to suit your own palette.
Makes 12
400g Self Raising Flour
100g Butter, softened
4 Tsp Baking Powder
3 Tsp Curry Powder
1.5 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1.5 Tsp Turmeric (or Mustard Powder)
200g Grated Cheese (I used a good Scottish Mature Cheddar)
2 Eggs
Milk to Bind
- Preheat your oven to 180 deg. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place flour, baking powder, smoked paprika, turmeric & curry powder into a bowl and mix. Next rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles crumbs then add in the grated cheese. (keep a little grated cheese back to top the scones before baking)
- Crack in the eggs and add a little milk at a time to bind to a soft dough. You don’t want the dough too sticky.
- Roll out to about 1″ thick, using a cutter cut into 12 rounds. Place onto your backing tray, brush with a little milk and top with some grated cheese.
- Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and risen.
- Remove and allow to cool. Serve with butter, chutney or anything you fancy really.
Baked Doughnuts
Any doughnuts I’ve made I normally fry but I decided to give the baked kind a go. I bought a doughnut tray ages ago and forgot all about it until I was clearing out my cupboards…lol! Having loads of colours in my baking drawer I went for it and got my creative flare going. I’ve loads more ideas now, so watch this space on my designs coming soon.
Makes 8-10 – Large size doughnuts
90g Butter, Softened
130ml milk at room temperature
1 Dried Yeast Sachet
1 egg
Pinch of salt
40g Sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
270 plain flour
- Melt some butter and glaze the doughnut pan. Preheat oven to 160 deg fan.
- Pour milk into a mixing bowl & add the yeast, salt, egg, sugar, vanilla and flour and mix until combined into a smooth dough. Add the butter and mix for 4-5 minutes.
- Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Using a piping bag, pipe the dough evenly into your moulds, smooth down with a little water on your fingertip. Cover the tray and allow to rise at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
- Bake in centre of oven for about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove doughnuts carefully from tray and allow to cool on a wire tray.
- Meanwhile for the toppings:- Mix some icing sugar together and add your choosen food colouring, Not too thin, you want it quite thick. If using chocolate, melt your chocolate accordingly. (In a microwave for 30 secs, then stir, then 30 secs and stir until melted.)
- Once doughnuts have cooled, simply pour over the icing and decorate with any sprinkles, nuts etc if you have them. Allow icing and chocolate to harden before devouring.
- YUMMY!!!!!!! Perfect with a cuppa.
Guinness Soda Bread
The bread is full of flavour, so delicious and easy to bake.
Makes 1 loaf
150g Plain Flour
150g Wholegrain Bread Flour
70g Scottish Oats
100g Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
150ml Guinness
150ml Buttermilk
30g melted butter
- Preheat oven to 190 deg on convection bake.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl
- Add in the wet ingredients to dry and mix together until combined. If the dough is too sticky and wet just add a little more flour but you don’t want it too dry.
- Shape into a circle and place on a floured baking tray, score a cross on top about 1/2″ thick and brush with some buttermilk.
- Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes until knife comes out clean, allow to cool and serve.
Cranberry & Walnut Scones
Oh yum. I’ve not had a scone in a while, so looking in my cupboards I had some Walnuts & Cranberries to use up and decided to give it a try. These were absolutely delicious, served with a good quality butter they were perfect with a cuppa. Lovely little afternoon tea scone.
Makes 6
100g Light Brown Sugar (or white caster sugar) (plus 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp lemon juice
300g Plain Flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Freshly grated lemon zest – 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
75g unsalted butter
50g dried cranberries
50g chopped walnuts
50ml Milk
50ml Double cream
- Preheat your oven to 190 deg. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Mix 1 tbsp sugar & 1 tbsp lemon juice together in a dish and set aside, this will be for the glaze.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add chilled butter & using fingertips, rub in until you get breadcrumb like mixture.
- Mix in cranberries and walnuts. Then add in the milk & cream and mix through 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Toss with fork or hands until dough comes together in moist clumps.
- Floured a work surface and roll out till about 1 inch thick. Using a cutter (about 7-8cm diameter) cut out 6 servings and place onto your baking sheet. Using the glaze brush lightly over the scones. Bake for about 18 minutes. Or until a knife comes out clean and slightly browned
- Serve with some butter. Yummy!
Chocolate & Walnut Cake
OMG, this was so yummy! We had a soup ‘n’ pudding kinda day and this is what I decided to try.
Serves about 8
110g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
110g golden caster sugar
50ml olive oil
50ml walnut oil
55g dark chocolate, chopped
55g chopped walnuts
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
100g melted chocolate for topping
30g chopped walnuts for topping
- Preheat oven to fan 170 deg. Grease a baking tin (approx 12″)
- Blitz the walnuts until fine. Transfer to a bowl and add in the sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt then mix.
- Add in the caster sugar, oils, chopped chocolate, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended.
- Spoon the batter mix into the baking tin and bake for approx 25 minutes.
- Remove and cool on a wire rack.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave and spoon on top of the cake, crumble the remaining walnuts on top. Serve. Yummy!
Choux Bun Doughnuts
Looking for something nice to have with a coffee this afternoon, I decided to have a go at Choux Pastry again. The first time I tried they didn’t puff up, so I was so pleased when these came out lovely and airy. Thought I would try doughnut shape instead of the traditional way. Very tricky to eat this way but then again I did make extra large man size ones……lol! They were absolutely delicious. Perfect for our afternoon coffee.
Makes 4
115g Strong Flour
4 tbsp milk
80ml water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of caster sugar
55g unsalted butter
3 medium eggs
Filling
300ml double cream
100g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or any other flavouring you wish)
100g Chocolate (if using on top)
- Preheat your oven to 200 deg.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and flour
- Put the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter into a pan and bring to the boil on a medium heat until the butter is melted.
- Remove from the heat and sieve in the flour and beat vigorously until it forms a dough then cook on a very low heat for 5 minutes.
- Leave to cool slightly. Beat the eggs then add in little at a time beating well between each egg. You want a smooth glossy finished dough.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe 4 rings, approx 4 inch diameter onto the baking tray.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 200 deg then turn down to 170 deg for 10 minutes or until they have risen well and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, pour the cream and vanilla into a bowl and whisk until just slightly thickened, then add the icing sugar and continue to whisk until desired thickness. Spoon into a piping bag with the star nozzle.
- Cut the cooked Choux in half and pipe the cream into the middle then place the top on. Dust with some icing sugar. If using chocolate, melt chocolate in a microwave for 2 minutes then spoon on top and refrigerate to harden (about 10 minutes). Serve.
Sicilian Lemon Cupcakes with a Gooey Centre
Oh WOW…….these are amazing, if you like all things lemony and fresh then this is the little cupcake for you.
I had a jar of Sicilian Lemon Curd to be used up so thought I;d try some little cupcakes. Yummy….Yummy! Perfect with an afternoon cuppa.
Makes 12
1 Cup of Cream – I used the double light cream (healthier option…lol)
1 cup of caster sugar
2 eggs – beaten
1 1/2 cup of self raising flour
1 Lemon – grated rind and juice
250g cream cheese
125g salted butter
grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
250g Icing Sugar – you may need more or less.
- Preheat you oven to 180 deg
- Put cream, caster sugar and eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Grate the lemon rind into the bowl.
- Sift in the flour and whisk until batter is thick and smooth.
- Divide the mixture into your cup cases and bake for approx 15-20 minutes.
6. Allow cupcakes to cool slightly. Then taking a small teaspoon or knife dig some holes into the centre, not too big or too small. Then gently fill the holes with the lemon curd.
7. To make the buttercream:- Add the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, rind and juice of 1/2 lemon into your mixing bowl and whisk until light and airy.
8. Add into a piping bag and pipe on top of your cupcakes covering the hole. To finish sprinkle some lemon rind on top.
Enjoy!
So Excited – New Oven!
I was so excited yesterday, got my new Hotpoint oven and Combi microwave fitted. It looks absolutely brilliant, the new black glass design is very stylish and minimalistic looking, perfect in my kitchen. Hotpoint Award winning oven range
You guessed it………I got to work straight away on baking a cake, the oven has automatic recipe settings where you select the type of food and the oven works out the time, temperature and cooking method by sensing……….genius. My cake came out perfect……check out my recipe here. Sticky Ginger Cake
THE WEE CALEDONIAN COOK 
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