There is still time to make treats for Easter, and these hot cross buns are amazingly good! I know what you’re thinking: “Your buns haven’t got crosses on though…” – and you are (obviously) correct! This was because I don’t have a new piping bag yet, and the mix I made was a bit lumpy and did not want to go through my badly made excuse for a piping bag. But never mind – they are hot (but not crossed) buns here!

These little buns are a great if you’re not a huge fan of dried fruit – I adapted the recipe here by not including mixed dried fruit and adding extra chocolate chips! I did add candied peel in here, but you could leave it out if you really don’t like the fruit. If you would prefer a more traditional batch of hot cross buns, try this recipe that I posted last Easter. Bear in mind that hot cross buns take a long time, but they are so worth the wait and effort!

This recipe was taken from the Spring 2014 edition of Woman & Home: Feel Good Food magazine.

Ingredients

7g sachet fast action dried yeast
175g/6oz caster sugar
250ml/9fl oz warm semi-skimmed milk
600g/1lb 5oz strong white bread flour
3 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
zest of 3 oranges and juice of 1 1/2
75g/3oz unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp melted
125g/4 1/2 oz mixed dried fruit (or 100g/4oz candied peel)
150g/5oz dark chocolate chips
1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp milk
50g/2oz plain flour

Method

1. Place the yeast in a bowl and mix with 1 tbsp of the caster sugar. Add 4 tbsp of the warm milk and leave to foam for 5 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, add the flour, 125g/4 1/2oz of the sugar, a pinch of salt, spices, zest and butter and, using the tips of your fingers, rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the dried fruit or peel and the chocolate chips.

3. Pour in the yeast mixture, juice of 1 orange and most of the remaining milk. Mix it to a sticky dough, adding more milk if needed. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place on a baking sheet and cover with greased clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

4. Divide into 24 equal balls and place in rows, almost touching each other, on a greased baking sheet. Cover with the clingfilm again and leave for another hour to double in size again.

5. Heat the oven to 190C (170C Fan)/375F/Gas mark 5. Brush the egg yolk mixture over the buns. Mix the flour with 1 tbsp of melted butter and spoon into a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Pipe a cross on each bun and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden.

6. Heat the remaining 50g/2oz sugar with the juice of 1/2 an orange until dissolved. Brush over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven and allow to cool.

These buns are even yummier when still slightly warm…enjoy one with a cuppa! Or maybe two – they’re only small!

The post Mini chocolate and orange hot cross buns appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

If you’re looking for a sweet Easter treat, look no further! This delicious citrus and marzipan Bakewell tart is a twist on a classic Bakewell. It is perfect for an Easter lunch – or for any other occasion actually! To make it super special, you could make your own lemon curd. The original recipe says to use a 12 x 35cm tin, but I used two small round loose-bottomed ones instead [Edit: I have used both round and rectangular tins and both work equally well!] I popped one of them in the freezer (un-iced) and it froze very well, so if you’re prepping for a party you could make this in advance.

This recipe comes from the April 2014 issue of BBC Good Food magazine. The recipe suggests using ready-made pastry – I actually made my own from scratch, but you can do whatever you prefer!

Ingredients

375g pack sweet shortcrust pastry (or use this recipe if you want to make it yourself)
Jar of lemon curd (or see this recipe to make your own!)
280g/10oz icing sugar
Juice 1 lemon

For the sponge

100g/4oz very soft butter
100g/4oz golden caster sugar
50g/2oz ground almonds
50g/2oz self-raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 medium eggs, beaten
25g/1oz chopped candied peel
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1/2 orange
50g/2oz block marzipan

Method

1. Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Line the tin and then press any overhanging pastry back over the outside of the tin (you can trim after baking). Prick the base all over with a fork and chill for 30 mins.

2. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Bake the pastry until just cooked but not coloured, and lower the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.

3. Make the sponge mixture by beating the butter, sugar, ground almonds, flour, almond extract and eggs together with an electric whisk until well mixed (I don’t have one currently, so followed the usual creaming by hand method).

4. Tip in the candied peel and zests, then coarsely grate in the marzipan – the best way to do this is to keep dipping the end of the block in flour to stop it getting sticky, and stir into the mix every now and then to stop it all clumping back together. Give everything a good stir.

5. Spoon 3 tbsp of the lemon curd into a piping bag or small food bag and set aside for later. Spread the rest (or as much as is needed) over the base of the tart, then spoon over the sponge mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden and firm, before allowing to cool completely in the tin.

6. If serving straight away, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough of the lemon juice to get a smooth and thick, but still runny icing. Spread it all over the top of the tart and then pipe the lemon curd onto the top. You could pipe horizontal lines across the length of the tin and then use the end of a cocktail stick to drag lines down the tin, creating a feathered effect.

The tart should keep well for up to 5 days in an airtight container…if it lasts that long! Enjoy!

Post updated 6th May 2017.

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