MILK CHOC CHIP CRUMBLE MUFFINS
Top Tip - HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK
No buttermilk? No problem! Simply whisk together 375ml of milk with 1.5tbsp of lemon juice and leave to thicken for roughly 15 minutes. There's homemade buttermilk! |
Ingredients
CRUMBLE TOPPING:
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Method
CRUMBLE TOPPING
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- In a bowl add all the crumble ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt. Rub together between your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs with no lumps of butter remaining.
- Keep in the fridge until later.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with large cupcake cases.
- In a large mixing bowl add the wet ingredients: Buttermilk, eggs, oil, melted butter and whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together: plain flour, both sugars and baking powder and whisk to combine.
- Next, chop the milk chocolate buttons into slightly smaller chunks and stir through the dry ingredients until fully coated. This will prevent the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the muffins whilst baking.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold together until fully combined being careful not to over mix.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the 12 cases using roughly 2tbsp per muffin case or filling up 3/4 of the way.
- Sprinkle the chilled crumble topping generously over each muffin.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until they turn a lovely golden brown or a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Leave to cool and enjoy!
VEGAN SWEET POTATO AND LENTIL CURRY
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Source: Traidcraft
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Method
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MEXICAN PASTA WITH AVOCADO
FABULOUSLY DIVINE BROWNIES
Ingredients
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Makes 24 pieces
Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350F, Gas 4, fan 160. Prepare a 28.x 18cm x 2.5cm deep brownie tin or baking tin. Grease tin and line with greaseproof paper. |
Method
- Break up the dark chocolate into squares and put into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot, but not boiling, water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Leave to melt stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the pan.
- Whisk the butter and sugar together in a bowl using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
- Add vanilla extract, melted chocolate and stir in gently using a spatula. Sieve the flour and cocoa into the bowl then fold in the nuts and white chocolate pieces until the mixture is evenly blended.
- Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter the raspberries over the top of the brownie mixture, top with remaining mixture and spread evenly.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the mixture feels firm when pressed. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire rack. When cold cut the brownie into 24 squares.
HOT CROSS BUN BUTTER PUDDING
Enjoy the fantastic flavour of this luxury bread and butter pudding for an Easter treat.
Ingredients
50g (2oz) butter, plus extra for greasing 3 hot cross buns, split in half 50g (2oz) Fairtrade dates, roughly chopped 50g (2oz) Divine Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped 2 large eggs 45g (1 ½ oz) Fairtrade caster sugar 200ml (1/3 pint) whole Jersey milk 200ml (1/3 pint) single cream Finely grated zest of 1 Fairtrade orange |
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus soaking
Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves 4 Method
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HOT CROSS BISCUITS
Ingredients
75g dried mixed fruit 50g fairtrade raw cane sugar 100g butter 80g fairtrade caster sugar 1 egg yolk 150g plain flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1 tsp milk (optional) |
Method
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While the biscuits cool on a rack, make the icing.
225g icing sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp lemon juice
1.) Whisk the egg white until frothy.
2.) Beat together the sugar, egg white, lemon juice and glycerine until smooth and glossy and will stand in peaks when you remove the whisk.
3.) Spoon into a piping bag with an extra small plain nozzle fitted.
4.) Pipe crosses onto the biscuits.
225g icing sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp lemon juice
1.) Whisk the egg white until frothy.
2.) Beat together the sugar, egg white, lemon juice and glycerine until smooth and glossy and will stand in peaks when you remove the whisk.
3.) Spoon into a piping bag with an extra small plain nozzle fitted.
4.) Pipe crosses onto the biscuits.
DIVINE SIMNEL CAKE
This Easter Day cake is made from a light fruit-cake mixture plus Divine dark chocolate. There is a layer of marzipan in the middle of the cake plus another layer added to the top after baking. The cake is traditionally decorated with eleven balls of marzipan to represent the Apostles– the chocolate eggs and pretty ribbon are a lovely addition.
For one large cake: 230g plain flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder A good pinch of salt 175g unsalted butter, softened 175g soft light brown muscovado sugar 4 large free-range eggs, beaten to mix 50g ground almonds 350g mixed dried fruit 100g glace cherries, rinsed, dried and halved 100g bar Divine dark (70%) chocolate, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons milk 450g white marzipan A little apricot jam or sherry for brushing To Decorate: Divine speckled eggs A ribbon |
Instructions: 1) 20.5cm/8in round, deep cake tin or springform, greased and lined 2) Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. 3) Sift the flour, baking powder and salt on to a sheet of greaseproof paper and set aside until needed. 4) Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; you can use a wooden spoon or an electric whisk or mixer. 5) Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition and adding the ground almonds with the last egg. 6) Using a large metal spoon fold in the flour followed by the dried fruit, cherries, chocolate and milk. 7) When thoroughly combined spoon half of the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. 8) Roll-out one third of the marzipan to a circle slightly smaller than the tin. 9) Set in on top of the cake the cover with the rest of the cake mixture. 10) Spread it evenly then make a slight hollow in the centre so the cake rises evenly. 11) Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 170C/325F/ Gas3 and bake for a further 60 to 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted in to the centre of the cake, just down to the marzipan layer, comes out clean. 12 Leave to cool on a wire rack then remove from the tin and discard the lining paper. 13 Roll out two-thirds of the remaining marzipan to a circle to fit the top of the cake. 14 Brush the top of the cake with a little warm apricot jam or sherry and set the marzipan disc on top. 15 Shape the rest of the marzipan into 11 balls and arrange around the edge. 16 Fill the centre with miniature Easter eggs and finish with a ribbon around the cake. |
BANANA LOAF
You can eat the banana loaf as it is if you prefer, but the icing adds the finishing touch and makes it more of a treat.
Ingredients:
110g (4oz) softened butter 110g (4oz) fairtrade caster sugar – unrefined works well 175g (6oz) plain flour 2 level teaspoons cream of tartar 1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 2 medium eggs 50g (2oz) ground almonds 150-175g (5-6oz) ripe Fairtrade bananas (but no more or the cake will be heavy) peeled weight, mashed to a puree but not liquidy For the Lemon and Vanilla Glace Icing: 75g (3oz) icing sugar Approximately 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice ¼ - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon glycerine |
Method
1.) Preheat oven to 160C (fan oven) or equivalent 2.) You will need a greased 450g (1lb) loaf tin lined with a strip of greaseproof paper. Line your loaf tin with a strip of double thickness greaseproof paper from end to end, with the paper ends sticking up: this will enable you to lift the loaf out easily. 3.) Whiz the butter and sugar together in a food processor until soft and fluffy. 4.) Add the raising agents to the weighed flour. 5.) Sieve a couple of tablespoons of the flour over the butter and sugar mixture and add the eggs on top. Sieve in the rest of the flour and whiz. Add the ground almonds and whiz again. 6.) Finally, add the banana and whiz until smooth and fully mixed. 7.) Spoon into the prepared tin, cover loosely with greaseproof paper and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. 8.) Leave in the tin to settle for a few moments then remove and cool on a wire rack. 9.) Store in an airtight tin. For the Icing:
1.) The lemon and vanilla flavours work well together and with the banana. Don’t add too much vanilla as it can be overpowering. The consistency of the icing should be fairly thick and spreadable rather than runny. 2.) Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the juice and glycerine. 3.) Alternatively, put the icing sugar into the clean, dry, bowl of your food processor and give it a few turns to eliminate any lumps. Add the juice and whiz until smooth. Add a drop more juice if necessary. Finally, add the glycerine and whiz again. 4.) Spread over the top of the cooled banana loaf. |
BANANA & CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
Makes 7-8 large muffins.
Ingredients 100g plain flour 40g cornmeal 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 90g unrefined (golden) Fairtrade sugar 40g melted butter 1 egg, beaten 2 ripe Fairtrade bananas, well mashed 80ml buttermilk 50g Fairtrade milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks Method
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CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CANDIED GINGER
Serves 8.
Ingredients 340g dark Fairtrade chocolate, broken into pieces 142g unsalted butter 125g Fairtrade sugar 50g crystallised or candied ginger, very finely chopped 4 large egg yolks 6 large egg whites 40g plain flour Unsalted butter to grease tin Method
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