Small cakes & muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients
500g High Grade Flour
28g Baking Powder
94g Butter
86g Caster Sugar
2 Whole Eggs
260ml Buttermilk
100g Sultanas, optional (Cover in hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes)

Half recipe
250g High Grade Flour
14g Baking Powder
47g Butter
43g Caster Sugar
1 Whole Egg
130ml Buttermilk
500g Sultanas, optional (Cover in hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes)

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and sugar together. Place in cake mixer (or by hand in a bowl) and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Add the butter.
Add the liquids to the dry mixture in the cake mixer.
Continue to mix the dough, until it has come together, it should be a wet sticky mix.
Add the sultanas, and mix until evenly distributed.
Sprinkle a little flour over the mixture, then remove the dough from the bowl, flatten the dough.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 3 cm and cut to desired shape.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes approximately until golden brown.
Cool before serving with jam and whipped cream.

Variations:

Sultanas or date scones
Add to mix
1/2 cup chopped dates or whole sultanas
1 tablespoon sugar
Serve buttered.

Blueberry scones
Add to mix
1 c blueberries
1 tbsp sugar

Apricot scones
Requires 12 preserved apricot halves (or pre-soaked dried apricots).
Pat mixture out on a floured board to a rectangular shape about 30cm by 20cm.
Lay apricot halves on top. Roll up and slice into eight rounds.

Cheese scones
3 shakes cayenne pepper
1 1/2 c tasty cheese grated
(may require a little more milk)

Cheese and bacon
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c bacon, chopped
(may require a little more milk)

Savoury scones
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
4 rashers lean rindless bacon, chopped (or ham)
(may require a little more milk)

Pumpkin scones:
3/4 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin

Pinwheel scones
To make a cinnamon pinwheel scone, mix 2 teaspoons cinnamon with 3/4 cup caster sugar. Lay the dough mixture out flat on a well floured bench. Pat out to be a rectangle approximately 30 x 20 cm. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the surface. Roll up from the long side into a sausage shape then cut into slices. Lay the slices on a prepared tray so they just touch each other, cook and cool as above. The lovely sticky cinnamon filling can be quite hot so remember to cool them down before biting in.

1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp each of cloves nutmeg, and ginger)
¾ cup soft brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¾ cup pumpkin puree (approx. 350g uncooked pumpkin)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
250g cream cheese at room temp
125g soft butter
2/3 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon or ½ tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan assisted). Place paper cupcake cases into muffin tins. Alternatively grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger into a mixing bowl.
Whisk together brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and pumpkin puree until well combined. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in pumpkin mixture. Stir to mix. Spoon mixture into cupcake cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked and golden. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Once cupcakes are cold, pipe cream cheese frosting onto the top of the cupcakes. Place 3 choc bits on the frosting to make the eyes and mouth.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese with 2 ½ cups of the measured icing sugar and orange zest until creamy. Add extra icing sugar if necessary to make a firm but piping consistency.

Tips
To make pumpkin puree: cook peeled pumpkin, puree in a food processor, or mash and sieve.
For Halloween add chocolate drops to decorate

Makes 14 – 18 muffins

Ingredients:
75g (1/3 cup) butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 extra large eggs
½ cup golden syrup
½ tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125 ml (½ cup) full cream milk
125 ml (½ cup) strong black coffee, cold

Icing:
115g (½ cup) butter
1 cup Icing Sugar

Method:
Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease the muffin tins or paper cases.
Cream the butter and treacle sugar together in a large bowl until creamy, add the eggs and syrup and beat for 2 minutes.
Sift the salt, flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda together. Add the milk and coffee and mix until evenly blended. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter between the muffin tins or paper cases and bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Icing:

Beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
Spoon the icing into a piping bag and pipe a rosette on top of each muffin.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 (60ml) cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
100 g butter
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (300g) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (250ml) yoghurt
1/2 cup (55g) coarsely chopped walnuts

COFFEE ICING
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
2 teaspoons boiling water
1 cup (160g) icing sugar mixture

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12-hole, 1/3-cup (80ml) muffin pan with paper cases.
Warm milk, add coffee to dissolve.
Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla.
Sift flour and baking powder.
Add dry ingredients, along with milk and coffee mix, and yoghurt. Mix until blended in.
Fold in walnuts.
Divide mixture evenly among the paper cases. Bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centres comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

To make the coffee icing, combine coffee and boiling water in a bowl. Add the icing sugar and stir to form a
runny paste, adding more water if necessary. Drizzle over the muffins.

Ingredients
Cupcakes
• 150g Self Raising Flour
• 150g butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g honey
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

To decorate:
• 100g butter, softened
• 225g icing sugar
• 50g cream cheese
• 1 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Few drops of yellow food colouring
• Edible sprinkles, sugar flowers or tiny sweets

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Put 12 paper cup cake cases into a muffin tray.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and honey together until pale and creamy, using a wooden spoon or hand-held electric whisk. Beat in the lemon zest. Gradually add the eggs, beating well between each addition.
3. Sift in the Self Raising Flour and fold it in gently with a large metal spoon until combined, then stir in the lemon juice to give a soft consistency.
Spoon the mixture into the cake cases.
4. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20-22 minutes until risen and golden. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, beat the butter in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
Gradually sift in the icing sugar, beating well between each addition. Beat in the low fat soft cheese, honey, lemon zest and food colouring. Pipe or spread on top the cakes, then decorate

These little cuties fit snugly into regular-size muffin tins, line with your favourite wrapper.

4 large eggs
pinch salt
170g sugar
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup white flour
1 1/2 cups cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raspberry jam
300ml whipped cream
icing sugar for dusting

Set oven at 190degC and adjust rack to centre.
Separate eggs and place the whites in beating bowl. Reserve yolks and set aside.
Beat egg whites and salt together until stiff.
Put the sugar and water into a small pan and heat until hot, stirring often. Don’t worry if sugar does not completely dissolve.
With beaters running, pour the hot syrup into the mixture in a slow, steady stream. Beat for a minute.
Add egg yolks to the mixture and beat again. The volume will almost double.
Sift together the flour, cornflour and baking powder. Fold into the mixture in three lots.
Place tulip cups in muffin tins. Spoon mixture into cups until two-thirds full.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.
Allow to cool then, with a small sharp knife, cut a well from the centre of each cake.
Reserve the sponge you remove.
Spoon a little raspberry jam into the well, add whipped cream then top with the “lids”.
Dust cakes with icing sugar.

1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup Butter, melted
1 large Egg, beaten
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 190°C/375°F. Grease 12-cup muffin pan; set aside.

Combine milk, 1/3 cup melted butter and egg in bowl. Set aside.

Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in bowl. Add milk mixture; stir just until combined.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Place 1/3 cup melted butter in bowl. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from pan; let stand 2 minutes on cooling rack.

Dip tops of warm muffins into melted butter, then into cinnamon sugar mixture.

These raspberry muffins will be a welcome addition for a weekend treat, or anytime.

115g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 large Egg
1 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) raspberries
1/2 cup (115g) white baking chips (white chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped).

TOPPING (optional)
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

How to make
Heat oven to 180°C/375°F. Place foil or paper baking cups into 12 muffin pan cups; set aside.
Cream butter and sugar, beat in the egg.
Combine yoghurt and milk. Sift together the flour, and baking powder, and salt.
Add the liquids alternately with the dry ingreds. Gently stir in raspberries and white baking chips.
Spoon into prepared muffin pan cups. Bake 20-28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from pan.

Dip top of each muffin in melted butter, then in sugar.

Variation: Raspberry White Chocolate Coffee Cake: Spread batter into greased 9-inch square baking pan.
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake at 190°C/375°F. 40-45 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; cut into squares.

makes 15

140g butter
200g brown sugar
120g golden syrup
2 eggs
300g flour
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
240ml milk

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
226 g cream cheese softened
113 g butter softened
2 Tbsp brown sugar, firmly packed
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
440 g icing sugar
Pinch of salt

Method
Line two 12-hole muffin tray with 15 paper cases.
Sift together the flour, ginger, baking powder and salt.
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Beat in the syrup, then add the eggs one by one until well combined.
Slowly beat in the flour mixture and the milk alternatively until well combined.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake 190C/375F/Gas 5 for 20 minutes, or until well risen and lightly firm to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and set aside to cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting, soften the butter, add to the cream cheese and other ingredients, beat until creamy.
Decorate the cupcakes with the frosting.

225g plain flour
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g caster sugar
1 large egg
250ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
90g butter, melted
410g can Black Cherries
300g cream cheese
30g icing sugar
Chocolate flake or chocolate curls, to decorate

How to make it
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C.
2. Put 12 paper muffin cases into a muffin tin.
3. Sift the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar.
4. In a jug, beat the egg, milk and vanilla extract together, then stir in the melted butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and add half the can Black Cherries. Stir until just combined – do not beat!
5. Share the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Mix the cream cheese and icing sugar together. Use to top the muffins, along with the remaining Black Cherry Fruit Filling and some crumbled chocolate flake or chocolate curls.