RACHEL’S BAKING TIPS
* To toast the pecans, roughly chop them and then spread out on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F), Gas mark 8 for 4 minutes. Allow to cool before using.
* To reduce the cooking time, place the buns on a baking tray, spacing them further apart than in step 5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden on top and firm at the edges.
ECCLES CAKES
An Eccles cake is a small, round cakey biscuit made with puff pastry, filled with currants, sugar and spices and topped with crunchy demerara sugar. They are named after the town of Eccles, near Manchester, where they have been made for the last 250 years!
MAKES ABOUT 24 CAKES
300g (11oz) good-quality bought or homemade puff or flaky pastry
1 egg, beaten
For the filling
40g (1½oz) butter, melted
75g (3oz) currants
75g (3oz) soft light or dark brown sugar
40g (1½oz) mixed peel, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
For the top
About 2 tbsp milk
About 2 tbsp demerara sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.
2 Mix all the ingredients together for the filling and set aside.
3 On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2-3mm (1/16-⅛in) and cut into 8cm (3¼in) discs. Bring the pastry scraps together and roll them out too.
4 Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each disc. Lightly brush the edges with beaten egg or water and bring the edges together into the centre, ‘wrapping up’ the filling. Turn the disc over, seam side down, and flatten it slightly with the rolling pin until it is about 5cm (2in) in diameter.
5 Brush the tops with milk, then sprinkle with demerara sugar (you can dip the tops in the sugar, if you wish). Make three incisions with a knife, about 1cm (½in) long, and place the cakes on a baking tray (no need to grease or line), spaced slightly apart to allow room for spreading.
6 Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. The currants and sugar caramelise through the holes in the top of the little cakes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.
VARIATIONS
Mincemeat: Replace the filling with mincemeat. Place 1 teaspoon in each disc and continue as above.
Orange and almond puffs: Replace the filling with 1 small beaten egg, 100g (3½oz) ground almonds, 50g (2oz) caster sugar and the finely grated zest of 1 orange. Mix together and continue as above.
LEMON CUPCAKES
I love these zesty little treats with an afternoon cup of tea.
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
125g (4½oz) butter, softened
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ large lemon (keeping the zest of the remaining ½ lemon for the lemon icing—see below)
2 eggs, beaten
150g (5oz) plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
For the lemon butter icing
75g (3oz) butter, softened
175g (6oz) icing sugar, sifted
Finely grated zest of ½ large lemon
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 crystallised flowers (optional; or make your own)
12-hole fairy cake tin
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole fairy cake tin with 12 paper cases.
2 Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and grated lemon zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Alternatively, whiz all the ingredients together in an electric food mixer.
3 Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until risen and golden. When cooked, the centre of each cake should be slightly springy to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool before you ice them.
4 To make the lemon butter icing, cream the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric beater until very soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat into the butter, along with the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to soften the icing to a spreadable consistency.
5 When the cupcakes are cool, spread a generous heaped teaspoon of lemon butter icing over the top of each one. Decorate with the crystallised flowers (if using).
FAIRY CAKES
These are the prettiest little cakes for a birthday party or just for a special treat; they are also known as butterfly buns.
MAKES 24 MINI OR 12 MEDIUM-SIZED FAIRY CAKES
125g (4½oz) butter, softened
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
