Scottish Empire Biscuits

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Empire Biscuits with Jujubes

For a while now I have been trying to perfect my Empire Recipe, and finally I have found a ratio of ingredients and cooking times that work perfectly. (please bare in mind that not all ovens are the same, so you timings may vary slightly). The traditional Scottish way is to decorate with a Jube Jube (they are like big jelly tots), although most people tend to put a cherry on top. To be honest it’s whatever you like, there is no right or wrong. I have even experimented with alternative decorated toppings.

  • Icing designs on Empire Biscuits
  • Empire Biscuits with Cherry

There was a great post from Scotsman Food & Drink a while ago about the largest Empire Biscuit made which measured 36″ diameter. Read all about it here:-https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/producers/worlds-largest-empire-biscuit-unveiled-scotland/

A bit like Shortbread quantities my Empire quantities are similar, if you start with the flour then butter then sugar and just half quantities as you go, you won’t go wrong.

Empire Biscuit Recipe – this makes 12 biscuits (24 individual biscuits)

450g Plain Flour with an additional 50g being Custard Powder to make 500g

250g butter

125g Caster Sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch salt

Raspberry Jam

Royal icing is best & JuJubes (or cherries) Recipe for Royal icing here:- https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2020/01/25/royal-icing/

  1. Mix everything in a mixer until just coming together, remove from bowl onto a floured work surface and bring together with your hands.
  2. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out to about 1cm or just under. Using your chosen cutter shape cut out your biscuits and place on a baking tray with greaseproof/baking paper.
  3. Preheat your oven to 180 deg and bake for about 10 minutes. You do not want these biscuits to brown, they should be pale in colour. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
  4. Once cooled, you can now spread 12 with the scottish raspberry jam and sandwich together. Make your icing and spread on top of biscuit then finish by adding your Jujube. (or cherry)
  • Empire Mix
  • Should be a little crumbly
  • bring dough together with hands
  • Raspberry jam in centre
  • Pale colour biscuits are right

Baked Doughnuts

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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

 

  1. Melt some butter and glaze the doughnut pan. Preheat oven to 160 deg fan.
  2. 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.
  3. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
  4. 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.
  5. Bake in centre of oven for about 15-20 minutes.
  6. Remove doughnuts carefully from tray and allow to cool on a wire tray.
  7. 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.)
  8. 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.
  9. YUMMY!!!!!!! Perfect with a cuppa.

 

 

 

 

Royal Icing

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I am always trying to improve my recipes and my icing for my Empire Biscuits just wasn’t right, so I decided it needed to be a bit harder and went for Royal Icing. Turned out this is much better as it goes hard pretty quick. Good if you want to decorate them.

Makes enough for a 20cm Cake or 12 biscuits.

400g Icing Sugar

2 egg whites or egg white powder

1/2 tsp water

  1. Using a whisk, bring the egg whites to a frothy consistency
  2. A little at a time spoon in the icing sugar (& yes it WILL go everywhere, this was my kitchen worktop after….lol)    20200125_143514
  3. Add the little water and whisk until you get stiff peaks.                                        20200125_140707
  4. Now you are ready to use. At this point you can use food colouring and colour to decorate your biscuits of cake.

I made some Scottish Empire Biscuits using my trusty Recipe.

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Rainbow Layer Cake

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Rainbow Cake

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Having Fun in the Kitchen today, have been dying to try this for a while now. Certainly cheered me up.

 

RAINBOW LAYER CAKE

350g Plain Flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

300 g caster sugar

170g butter softened

350ml milk

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

food colouring of choice

Icing –

75g butter

500g icing sugar sifted

4-5 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla paste/extract

 

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg on Multilevel mode and grease 5-6 cake tins and line with parchment paper. 18cm tins.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

3. In separate bowl beat egg whites until foamy, then add 100g of caster sugar gradually, continue beating until soft peaks form

4. Beat butter until smooth in separate bowl, gradually add remaining caster sugar and cream together until fluffy.

5. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk in a small amount beating until smooth. Add in vanilla. Add in egg whites and fold in gently till no streaks of eggs appear.

6. Divide mixture  into separate bowls 5-6, add food colouring to each and mix well.

7. Put into oven on shelf levels 1,3,5 – can fit 2 ins on each level and bake for about 15-20 mins or until skewer runs clear when inserted, then remove and cool in tins.

8. To make the icing, beat butter until fluffy, gradually add half of the icing sugar beating well. Slowly beat in the half of the milk and vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining icing sugar adding milk if needed to desired consistency. I used 5 tablespoons.

9. Once cakes are cooled remove from tins and place first layer on a cake plate, cover top with the icing thinly, add second layer, then add icing layer etc, etc. Finally use remaining icing to cover top and sides of cake and smooth with palette knife or spatula. Decorate to your desire.