Honey Scones

These scones are so easy and they taste delicious, very light and sweet with honey.

Ingredients

340g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

40g caster sugar

85g unsalted butter

1 egg

2 tbsp runny honey

150ml milk

Pre heat the oven to 190°C and dust a non stick baking tray with some flour.

Put the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl and stir together.  Then add the butter (cubed) and rub together using your fingertips until you get a good sandy consistency.  

 

Then measure out the milk into a jug and add the egg and honey to the milk, beat together lightly with a fork.

Make a well in the centre of your flour mixture and pour in the liquid all in one go.  Mix together using one hand until the mixture just comes together.

How I do this is to spread my hand out like a claw and just use that hand in a circular motion to bring the mixture together.  I find that this stops me over working the dough.  

When it is just coming together, tip it onto a floured work surface and give it a quick knead, just four or five turns will do.  Press or roll out until about an inch thick and then cut out your scones using a round cutter.  If you roll out the dough too thin then you will never get nice high scones when they are baked.

Place on your baking tray with a little room between them for growth!  I do like big scones so this recipe makes me about 6/7 scones but you will get more if you use smaller cutters for daintier scones!

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and risen.  Let them cool on a wire rack and enjoy with whatever topping you prefer.  Once cooled completely I do actually like to eat these plain as they are so soft and I love the honey aroma they give off!

Perfect for any Jubilee celebrations or even just because you fancy something yum with a cup of tea!

Decorated cupcakes - 3D cakes

Last night I attended a cupcake decorating class with a friend held at 3D cakes in Edinburgh. 

We were taught how to craft a rose, gerbera flower, butterfly, ladybird and 3D heart.  The rose and flower were most useful and the most visually effective.

Our only mistake with this evening class was coming straight from work...by 9pm I was ready to eat all 12 cupcakes and call that dinner!

The cupcakes themselves were pre baked for us in chocolate and toffee flavours.  The taste was good but not the best I have ever tasted. The buttercream however was delicious, with an almost caramelly taste to it.

How cute is this little guy!  My ladybirds need a little practice but I still think he is super cute!

The course was run by the owner of 3D cakes, David Duncan.  His shop window has some fabulous cakes in it.  He mentioned running handbag courses later in the year which sounds very interesting, certainly something to consider! 

I think as with any course there are some aspects that you will take away and use and other things that you won't.  Everything that we were shown is achievable at home and I can see a few weekends being taken up with rose making.  Whichever friend or family member has a birthday next will probably get some ladybird cakes too!  Overall good effort 3D cakes! Thanks!

Lemon and Orange squares

These are a nice little anytime treat best enjoyed with the hot beverage of your choice! Tea for me please! 

Ingredients

2 eggs

175g caster sugar

150g stork margarine

175g self raising flour

zest of one lemon

125ml milk

150g icing sugar

zest and juice of one orange

Pre heat your oven to 190C and line a square tin 10"x10" with baking parchment.  

Beat together the marg, eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Then add in the lemon zest and flour, fold until combined and then stir in the milk.  Pour into the tin and bake for 45mins until golden brown.  Simple!  

To make the icing simply mix together the icing sugar, juice and zest.  Try just using half the juice first and add more until you get the right thickness of icing to spread.

The flowers are made using sugarpaste and a cutter.  I am going to a cake decorating workshop tomorrow and will put up some photos of any creations that come out of it!

If you want to use up the juice of the lemon that you zested then it is also nice to make a syrup with lemon juice and icing sugar, heat it up, prick the cake when still warm and pour over.  Gives a very moist lemony finish!

Chocolate Eclairs

These are great to make and they look so professional everyone will be amazed you made them yourself!  The weather has been so nice this past week that a picnic with some fresh cream eclairs is definitely in order! (any excuse!)

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter

4 tbsp milk

100g plain flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp caster sugar

3 eggs

250ml double cream

50g dark choc

20g cocoa powder

150g icing sugar

3tbsp water

First to make your choux pastry, preheat your oven to 220°C and line a couple of baking trays with grease proof paper.

Put the butter, milk and 4 tbsp water into a saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted, then bring to the boil.  Once boiling, remove from the heat and quickly beat in the flour, sugar and salt.  Keep stirring until it comes away from the sides into a glossy ball, this doesn't take long.

Leave to cool slightly for a couple of minutes then add the eggs,one at a time beating well in between additions.  It is important that each egg is fully combined before beating in the next one.

Spoon into a piping bag, I like to put the piping bag into a pint glass, much easier to fill!

Then pipe your eclairs onto the prepared trays, I pipe them about 10cm long and leave some space between them as they double in size when cooking.

Bake for 15 mins, until golden brown and risen.

While they are cooling beat your double cream until stiff and pipeable! 

To make the topping heat the water and chocolate in a pan together until the chocolate has melted.  Add that to a bowl with the icing sugar and cocoa powder and beat until thick and glossy, you may need a few drops extra water but see how it goes!

Once the buns are completely cool, slice them open and pipe in your cream filling.  Then pipe a line of fondant on the top of each eclair and you are good to go!

These really are best eaten on the day but if you do want to keep them over night you can put them in an airtight container and store in the fridge and they will be fine!