Christmas Cupcakes
Preparation 30 Minutes
Cook 30 Minutes
Serves 12
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, mixed spice and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in flour alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in Sunbeam sultanas.
Spoon mixture into paper cases until two-thirds full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes, before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing: beat cream cheese with icing mixture. Slowly fold melted and cooled chocolate.
Ice the cupcakes and decorate with mini gingerbread houses.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
160g Caster Sugar
125 grams butter softened
3 Eggs
1 teaspoons Mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
100g Sunbeam Sultanas
200g Self Raising flour
65g Milk
Icing
250 gram cream cheese
1/2 cup icing mixture
100 gram white chocolate
Recipe Collection
Baked Brie with Fruit & Nuts
Soak dried fruit in maple syrup & hot water to coat for 15–20 mins until plump and sticky. The longer the soak the plumper the fruit gets.
Score the top of the brie (light cross-hatch), place on a baking dish or lined tray. Bake at 180°C for 10 mins, until soft and gooey.
Top with the soaked fruit mixture and a little extra maple syrup.
Serve warm with crusty bread & crackers
Moroccan Chicken with Raisins, Almonds and Honey
Pat chicken dry with paper towel, and sprinkle both sides of meat with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil into a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat.
When oil is shimmering, add half the chicken pieces and cook 5 – 7 mins per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Reduce heat to medium, and add onion, garlic, ras el hanout, cinnamon stick, and ginger to the hot oil. Stir well, then cook for 5 mins, until onions have started to soften.
Return chicken and any resting juices to the pot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1.5 hrs, until the chicken is tender.
Remove cinnamon stick and add raisins and honey to the pot. Gently stir to combine and increase heat to medium. Simmer uncovered, for a further 30 – 45 min, until the sauce has reduced and the raisins are plump. Stir through lemon juice.
Garnish with almonds and parsley. Serve with crusty bread, rice, or couscous.
Fruit & Nut Hot Cross Truffles
- Combine mixed fruit, dates, seed mix, hazelnuts, coconut, coconut oil and vanilla essence in a food processor and blend until a smooth, thick paste is formed.
- Divide into 25 equal portions and roll each into a ball before flattening slightly.
- Pipe melted white chocolate crosses onto truffles and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving cold.
Smoked Eggplant Dip
Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
- Prick eggplant all over with a fork. Place both eggplants over a low gas flame on your cooktop, turning often until skin is charred all over. Remove to a lined baking tray and continue cooking in the oven for 30 minutes or until completely tender and cooked through.
- When cool, peel skin away from eggplants, discarding stems and juices.
- Roughly chop the flesh and combine with yoghurt, lemon juice, tahini, garlic and seasonings.
- Combine currants with sherry vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes.
- For serving, toss together the drained currants, pine nuts, parsley and seasonings. Spoon eggplant dip into a serving dish and sprinkle with pine nut mixture. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with warmed turkish bread.
Sultana & Cinnamon Mini cupcakes
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
Line two 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans with paper cases. Combine flour, brown sugar, oats and Sunbeam sultanas in medium bowl.
Whisk milk, vegetable oil and egg in small bowl, stir into dry ingredients (do not overmix, mixture should be lumpy).
Divide mixture into paper cases. Bake about 15 minutes, turn, top-side up, onto wire rack. Combine caster sugar with cinnamon, sprinkle over hot muffins.
For the Icing: beat butter till white and fluffy add sugar then milk slowly till the perfect texture, fill into piping bag and decorate with grated chocolate & mini easter eggs.
Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Place flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt in mixing bowl and briefly mix until combined.
Add in melted butter, warm milk, egg, sultanas and currants.
Mix with dough hook on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until a dough ball is formed and is coming away from the sides of the bowl.
Leave the dough covered with clingfilm in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubles in size.
Knock the air out of the dough and then shape it into a loaf.
Place dough into a greased dough tin approximately 24cm x 13cm x 6.5 cm in size.
Cover dough with cling film again and let rise for approximately 40 minutes or until it has risen to about 70% of its original size.
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees.
Cross Method
Mix flour and water together until a thickish paste forms. Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag, pipe crosses down the center of the loaf, and then across the other way three or four times.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when you tap it.
Let cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes.
Drizzle Method
Mix icing sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over loaf whilst still slightly warm.