Happy St Patrick's Day!

I've been in my pink and white sheep pajamas today, I haven't even gotten dressed yet - this is what I do on Saturdays. I've been by myself watching Grease and making St Patrick's Day cupcakes, yes this is what my life has come to. Not that I'm sad or depressed about it, I love it apart from the washing up. I hate that. Anyway here are my contribution to St Patrick's Day baking!

Not my best work but Hey! It's a Saturday and I'm extremely tired!

 And tonight I will be eating some Kidney Bean Patties whilst watching 'Come Dine With Me'

And I also picked 3.2kg of tomatoes out of my garden today, woo!

Chelsea Buns

Chelsea Buns! - Makes 10!

This was my first time baking these babies and I pretty much made up the recipe so please don't judge me too harshly!

Ingredients:
100ml of butter
1/2 cup of milk
2 tsp of yeast
2 eggs
1 tsp of sugar
3 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup sultanas
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cups of brown sugar.
Honey

Melt the butter in the microwave and prepare your milk then pour both in.

Add the yeast and eggs and sieve the flour, sugar and salt. 

Mix your dough then knead your dough in flour until the mixture no longer sticks and then shape into a circle. Put in a warm place in a bowl wrapped in cling film or put your oven on 50 degrees Celsius and put your bowl with the dough in and leave it for an hour - good to do in the winter!

Take out your dough and preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. It should now be doubled in size, dust your work bench with flour and knead for 3-5 minutes. Shape dough into square like so:

Then roll the dough out until it is about 1-0.5 cm thick.

Brush the dough with melted butter but leave a 1cm boarder with no melted butter.

In another bowl put your sultanas, lemon juice and zest in and give them a mix then add your brown sugar and mix again until it become a thick consistency. Spread the fruity mixture over your dough like this:

Begin rolling your dough and then cut it in the style you like. Line a tray with baking paper and put your Chelsea buns on, put them close together but not touching so when they cook they will come together. Put in oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Use some runny honey on top of the buns for a glaze.

Warning: When the buns are cooking some of the fruit juice will leak but it you have your baking paper down so you won't end up with a mess!

Feta, chilli and parsley scones

Feta, chilli and parsley scones - Makes 6 large scones

Quick and easy - takes around 10 minutes to make them and 15 minutes to bake them!

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour
4 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 cup of diced feta
1 handful of freshly picked parsley
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
1/2 cup of milk
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of milk - for glaze.

Preheat oven to 215 degrees Celsius or 419 Fahrenheit.

Measure all your dry ingredients and sift them together in a large bowl.

Get your freshly picked parsley, rinse and chop thoroughly. Add parsley, feta and Parmesan - make well in the middle for the adding of your liquids.

Add your milk and half of your water, mix thoroughly. You will find that your mixture is dry so add the other half of water as you mix; until the dough becomes a smooth texture.

Dust some flour on your clean bench-top and knead dough until it can shape into an oval.

Cut your oval into six and place scones into baking dish. (I use a frying pan as it gives them an even heat temperature).

Get the milk for your glaze and brush it on top of the scones - this will give the scone a golden brown top. Then grate some Parmesan on the top and put in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Butter cream Icing

How to make yummy Butter cream Icing!

Ingredients:

• 100g of softened butter - 15 seconds in the microwave
• 2 1/2 cups of icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp of vanilla essence
• 2-3 teaspoons of milk
• 1 Tbsp of water

First soften your butter - It will look like this:

 Put your butter into a bowl and beat it for a few minutes until it is pale then sift your icing sugar into your bowl and then beat together.  

Add your vanilla essence, milk and water. Stir until well combined.

Add a few drops of the food coloring of your choice!

Then ice your cupcakes! 

Vanilla Cupcakes

How to make perfect fluffy vanilla cupcakes - makes 24 cupcakes.



Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup of flour
• 2 Tsp of baking powder
• 200 grams of softened butter - put in microwave for 30 seconds
• 1 3/4 cup of Castor sugar - If you don't have any in your cupboards just get your food processor out and blend the normal sugar for about 45 seconds.
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp of vanilla essence
• 1 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then line your two 12-hole muffin trays with 24 cupcake cases.

In a medium size bowl sift your flour and baking powder and then mix together - set aside bowl for later.

In a large bowl cream your softened butter for 2 minutes, it will begin to look pale then add the Castor sugar a third at a time making sure you beat for 1 minute after each addition. After the last addition of Castor sugar, crack one egg in and then mix the mixture for 1 minute - repeat this until all your eggs have been used. Then add the your vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Add a third of your flour mixture to the your butter mixture then beat on a low speed until well combined then add half of your milk. Repeat until both flour and milk have been used.

Your batter should look like this:

Then put your mixture into your cupcake tins:

And pop them into the oven until they're golden brown! (17-20 minutes)