Love a good bun

Classic hot cross buns

1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup caster sugar
2 x 8g sachets dried yeast
4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
60g butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sultanas
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup self-raising flour

In a microwave safe jug, heat the milk for just around 60 sec or until warm. Add the caster sugar ( I used raw caster sugar ) and stir until dissolved, then mix in the dried yeast.

Leave this mixture for 5 – 10 minutes or until it froths up.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt. Then rub through the butter with your fingertips until it is evenly distributed.

Stir in the eggs and the yeast mixture until it comes together in a rough dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes until elastic and smooth. I put my dough in my mixer for 5 mins with the dough hook attachment, as I was feeling lazy :)

Place the dough in a large, greased bowl covered with a clean, damp tea towel.

Place in a warm place for about 45 minutes until is rises to almost twice its size. ( If there are no warm or sunny spots in the kitchen, put the bowl under the range hood light, I have also been known to place it on the bonnet of my car in the garage! )

Knead the dough for a couple of minutes a second time, then divide into 12 or so balls. Place the balls on a greased baking tray, pressed up against each other.

Cover and leave in a warm place for another 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Combine the self-raising flour with two tablespoons of water and mix well. Place in a small piping bag with a narrow nozzle, I which I didn't have so I used a large zip lock bag, with a tiny piece of the corner snipped off. Pipe a cross onto each of the buns.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the buns are risen and sound hollow when tapped.

I just made a simple sugar glaze, using 1 tablespoon of caster sugar and mixing it with 1 tablespoon of boiling water, bushed lightly over the surface of each of the buns.

adapted from julia goodwin's cookbook

Tried and Tested: Tanya Burr's Oreo Cupcakes

I recently saw this post on Tanya Burr's Blog which I will link here and my sister suggested that I give them a try!

So I thought I would do a post on my first attempt of this recipe so I can give some honest feedback on the cupcakes and if they where a hit or miss.

Ingredients

175g butter

165g caster sugar

3 eggs

40g cocoa powder

125g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pack oreos

For the icing:

2 packets of oreos (I only used one)

100g butter

200g icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line your cupcakes tin with cases. 

Using an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are fulling mixed in before adding another.

Fold in all of your sifted dry ingredients. Simple as that your cupcake mix is done!

Before spooning in the mix, place one oreo into the bottom of each cupcake case.

Make sure you fill the cases almost to the top, as they will rise a little. Bake for 14-17 minutes or until cooked through.

Once cooked , leave cupcakes aside to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, cream butter and icing sugar and set aside. Blend the oreos into crumbs using a processor. 

Then add the oreos to the icing mix and combine.  

Once your cupcakes are completely cool you can spoon on your frosting and add half and oreo for decoration.

Now for the feedback. I found that the cupcake recipe was great, but quite a few of the cupcakes sunk in the center after baking, which I personally found very disappointing. However the overall taste of the cake was delicious and I had heaps of positive feedback from everyone that tried it. 

Also I only think you need to use one packet of oreos for the icing as when I was making it I felt that two would be too much. 

Overall I really liked how easy the recipe was, I enjoyed giving them to friends and family to try and loved seeing their reaction when they found the oreo in the bottom of the cupcake. And I would 100% make them again!

Much Love,

Coffee lovin' - Box Office

Where do I start?? I am only the second post in to this Coffee lovin' series and I feel like I have already struck gold.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the beautiful art that has gone into this cup of coffee.

Location: Box Office Cafe

Address: 77 Preston Street, Geelong West VIC 3218

Price per coffee: $3.80 

Coffee Beans: Axil Coffee Roasters

Hours: Open 7 days, 7am -4pm

It would be quite easy to overlook this hidden gem just off Pakington Street in Geelong West. Nestled between a fish and chip shop and a large shed is a cleverly transformed shipping container, sitting on what was once vacant land.

Coffee: Can't be faulted! (bold statement, I know) 

Atmosphere: Laid back, very welcoming. 

Service: Really friendly and helpful staff.

  

I also had a some breakie, this was the first time I have tried quinoa porridge and may I add, certainly not the last! So delicious and beautifully presented.

Back to coffee!

With their barista's winning the recent ASCA Regional barista comp as well as winning the Golden Plate most Innovative Award 2014. Box office is definitely kicking goals!

It is good to see a cafe thinking outside the box ( pun intended ) and quite frankly is a breath of fresh air to the Geelong West cafe precinct!

Much love,

Baking basics: The classic tea cake

Ingredients 

60g butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup milk
15g butter extra (melted) to brush on top
1 tablespoon castor sugar, extra
1 teaspoon cinnamon

This is a great recipe, so simple and something that I have easily put together when I have had people over. 

Always a hit, I have even brought it into work before and been asked if it was a ' Donut cake ' 

Method:

Preheat over to 180deg (fan forced) grease and line a 20cm round cake tin. Only use a round tin, as it will sink in the middle if you use a loaf tin...trust me!)


This was a little trick my Mum taught me to cut the perfect circle to line the bottom of the pan.

Cream butter, sugar, I like to use an electric beater, or mixer if you have one, works just as well with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease!

Add egg and vanilla, mix until light and creamy. 

Fold in sifted flour and milk, add this alternately until smooth.

Spread mixture into cake tin, bake for 25min or until golden 

Allow cake to cool in the tin for 5mins before turning onto wire rack, brush with butter and sprinkle with combined sugar and cinnamon.

This cake is best served warm from the oven and with a nice cuppa!!

Enjoy!

Much love,

Coffee lovin' - Zigfrids

It has been on my mind to do a Coffee lovin' series for some time now. The concept being that through my love for coffee I continually find myself on the quest for the best brew. 

Now I am by no means an expert when it comes to coffee, this series will merely be based on my own personal tastes and experiences and will be spaced out over the course of the warmer months. So enough waffling let's get into it!

Location: Zigfrids

Address: 66 Pakington Street, Geelong West VIC 3218

Price per coffee: $3.80 

Coffee Beans: Coffee Surpreme 

Hours: Open 7 days, 8am til late

The first thing that strikes you when you walk in is simply the large size of the building that was once an old mechanic's workshop. 

And the second is the beautiful decor, the perfect mix of industrial styling and rustic warmth. 

There are only a few simple things that I believe factor into a good coffee. The main being temperature. When I want a coffee I would prefer to drink it right away not 30 min after I order it. I also don't want scolding third deg burns when I attempt to sip it.

In saying that, I am going to narrow down these posts to a few categories when comparing the coffee experience.   

Coffee: Great temperature, nice balance between coffee and milk 

Atmosphere: Relaxed and comfortable, family friendly

Service: A bit slow, however there was only one staff member on the floor. Still friendly service.

Well that was my first attempt, I will just try to keep these posts short and simple and just see where this series of Coffee lovin' takes me!

Much love,