Choc Sultana Hot Cross Bun

Preparation 105 Minutes

Cook 30 Minutes

Serves 12

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Method

Preheat oven to 200°C

  1. Sieve plain flour and mixed spice. Rub butter into the flour until well incorporated and add dry yeast, castor sugar, sultanas, currants and chocolate dots. Add the milk and eggs and mix well. Place on a floured surface and gently knead dough for ten minutes until smooth and velvety. Cover and leave to rise for one hour or until mixture has doubled in size.
  2. Gently knead for 2 minutes then divide into 12. Gently knead into balls and shape into buns. Arrange in a greased baking tin and leave to rise again for 15 minutes.
  3. Combine ingredients for flour paste crosses and place in a piping bag. Pipe crosses onto buns.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 170°C and bake for a further 20 minutes.
  5. Turn onto a wire rack, serve hot with butter, if desired

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp cinnamon

125g butter, softened

2 x 7g sachets dry yeast

½ cup castor sugar

250g Sunbeam Sultanas

80g Sunbeam Currants

250g milk chocolate dots, chopped

250ml warm milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Flour paste for crosses:

1/3 cup water

½ cup plain flour

1 tbs castor sugar

Recipe Collection

Chocolate, Christmas, Gifting, Recipes, Sweet Treats

In slow 160 degree oven roast almonds on small tray for approx 10 min. Leave to cool then dice.

Roughly chop dates & apricots fairly fine. Place in small saucepan add water and heat on a low temperature till starting to soften.

Take off heat and stir in bi-carb till it starts to foam. Then set aside to cool.

Place biscuits in food processor and blitz to form fine bread crumbs. Add all the ingredients (except chocolate) and mix together, saving 10g of diced almonds to garnish.

Place in refrigerator for 1/2hr to cool and firm.

Melt Chocolate in a narrow deep jug for 1 minute in microwave, then 10-20sec intervals until fully melted.

Roll small balls of mixture and dip into melted chocolate. Use a fork to remove out of chocolate and tap excess off.

Place on tray covered in baking paper, garnish with almonds and refrigerate until set.

Easter Carrot & Sultana Cake

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line two 20cm cake tins.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb, spices and salt. Stir to combine.

In a stand mixer, beat the eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add half of the flour mix and mix on low speed until combined. Add remaining flour mix and mix on low speed again until all of the flour is incorporated. Add the pineapple and sultanas. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Divide evenly between the prepared tins and bake for 40 mins or until cooked. Rotate the cakes after 20 mins. (You can test with a skewer, and the cake is ready when the skewer comes out clean.)

Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 mins, then transfer to cooling racks and leave until cooled.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until very pale and creamy, about 4 mins. Add half of the sifted icing sugar and beat on low speed for about 1 min. Increase speed to medium to combine. Add remaining icing sugar and reduce speed to low for a further minute, then increase to medium speed for another few minutes until all of the icing sugar is combined. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Beat for 1 minute or until combined. Add extra tablespoon of milk of you would like a thinner frosting.

Divide the frosting between the centre of the cakes, reserving the remainder for the top and the sides.

Decorate with topping of choice.

Apple, Pear & Sunmuscat Filo Tart

Preheat oven to 200ºC (fan forced 180ºC).  Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Combine all nuts, sunmuscats, breadcrumbs and cinnamon, toss to combine then drizzle over the maple syrup and mix well.  Reserve 1/3 cup of this mixture.

Lay 1 sheet of filo onto prepared tray.  Brush evenly with melted butter, sprinkle over ¼ of the nut mixture.  Brush a second sheet with butter and arrange on top, repeat with another ¼ of the nut mixture.  Repeat twice more, so you have 4 layers of brushed filo and nut mixture, then brush remaining filo sheet with butter and place on top. 

Arrange apple and pear slices on top, brush with remaining butter then sprinkle over reserved nut mixture and coconut sugar.

Bake for 25-30 mins until pastry is golden.  Cut into slices and serve with rocket.

Fruit & Nut Clusters

  1. Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Combine nuts and seeds with coconut and sultanas.
  2. Heat honey and pour over nut mix, combine well.
  3. Drop spoonfuls onto oven tray and bake for 15 mins until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from tray.

Handmade Chocolate Bars

  1. Line the base and sides of 2, 10 x 20cm loaf pans, or 4, 6 x 12cm mini loaf pans.
  2. For topping choice Rum ‘n Raisin, combine raisins, rum and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside until required.
  3. Place chocolate in a glass bowl and heat in the microwave in 30 second increments until half chocolate is melted. Stir chocolate constantly until all the chocolate is melted.
  4. Pour chocolate evenly between pans and whilst still in melted form, working quickly, decorate with preferred toppings. Allow to set at room temperature and store in an airtight container when set. Wrap and give away as gifts.

Christmas Cake Gift Jar

As a gift idea

  1. Place flour in bottom of jar and add spices and bicarbonate of soda
  2. Pour in fruit and push down lightly
  3. Next place brown sugar and finish with slivered almonds.
  4. Attach a gift card with the following instructions:

YOU WILL NEED
250g butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup brandy

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven 150°C. Double line a 20cm round tin with baking paper
  2. Combine gift jar contents, butter, eggs and brandy and stir until combined
  3. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
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