Easter baking - Cake thirty eight Hot Cross Buns

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Like other Easter specialties they’re half way between bread and cake. I love the taste of the raisins and orange peel inside! They’re not too sweet and are good hot at breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea and why not some jam on top. They need some resting time so I find it impossible to bake them the same day for breakfast! So I make them the day before and heat them up, but they lose some of their fragrancy. 

14g dry yeast

55g sugar

250ml warm milk

600g flour

1 tsp cinnamon

60g butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

125ml warm water

250g dried currants or raisins

80g orange peel

1 tbs apricot jam

Combine yeast, sugar and milk in small bowl, whisk until yeast is dissolved. Cover bowl, stand in warm place about 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy. Sift flour and cinnamon into larghe bowl, rub in butter, then stir in yeast mixture,egg, water and fruit. Cover and stand in warm place about one hour or until mixture has doubled in size. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead about 5 minutes or unitl smooth and elastic. divide dough in 16 portions and knead into balls. Place buns into greased 23cm square slab cake pan, stand in warm place about 20 minutes or until dough has risen to top of pan.

Flour paste

75g flour

1tbs sugar

80ml water

Combine flour and sugar in small bowl, gradually blend in water, stir until smooth.

Place flour paste into piping bag fitted with small plain tube and pipe crosses onto buns.

Bake at 200° 10 minutes, reduce heat to 180° and bake about a further 15 minutes. Turn buns onto a serving plate and brush with warm apricot jam. 


Flour paste was too much for the Hot Cross Buns and I've used it to make a Bunny. Bunnies are never enough at Easter!

Also visit: http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2014/05/easter-baking-cake-thirty-seven_31.html

Cake sixteen - Prince Charming & Fruit crumble

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It’s a kind of love at first sight with this cake. You don’t know why exactly you like it but if you try it you’ll be charmed, I’m sure. 

You can make it with fruit and jam, or you can add some cream cheese. The result is in both cases delicious! 

100 g sugar

125 g butter or margarine

1 egg

190 g flour 

3 teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt 

apricot jam

4 apples 

(250 g cream cheese)

Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with electrtic mixer until creamy, Add the egg with some flour. Beat in the rest of flour, baking powder and pinch of salt. (Add cream cheese if you want.)

Line a 24 cm round cake pan with parchment paper. Spread mixture into cake pan. Warm up apricot jam and spoon over mixture. Peel core and cut apples into small pieces. Spread apples evenly over jam. Grate crumble mixture over the cake. Bake at 180° for about 40/50 minutes.

Crumble topping

100 g butter or margarine

100 g sugar

170 g flour

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add flour. 

If you like the taste of the topping you wanna love this lighter and quicker version of the cake.

Fuit crumble

5 large apples 

or for a richer taste: 2 apples, 2 peaches, one apricot and two pears.

Grease 24 cm round oven-proof dish. 

Wash and peel fruit. Cut it in small pieces. Spread fruit into prepared dish, sprinkle evenly with crumble mixture. Bake at 180° for about 30 minutes.

also visit: http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/11/cake-sixteen.html