Theres no baking like snow baking

Being trapped indoors and freezing cold does make you crave comfort food doesn't it and what better way to to keep warm that a bit of old fashioned baking. As I have said before we get a fruit box delivered weekly and each week we have more bananas. Now I like a banana but there is only so many I really want and one a day for the rest of my life is probably a few too many. So I am always on the look out for ways to use up those brown ones which have been left to one side in favour of a juicy clementine or sharp kiwi.

This recipe is one that I found a while ago in my trusty 500 cupcakes and muffins book but completely forgot about. I made them just as a treat with a cuppa but they would be great warm as part of a fancy breakfast or taken to work as a replacement for that oh so predictable cereal bar. Its very easy and even the most messy throw it all together of bakers, like me, can't go wrong.

You will need a muffin tray, muffin cases, 2 mixing bowls and the following ingredients.
Muffins
225g/8oz Unsalted butter
225g/8oz Caster sugar
225g/8oz Self Raising flour or 8oz Plain flour with 4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
225/8oz Mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
Topping
3 tbsp Granulated sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp Softened unsalted butter
4tbsp Oats
1tbsp Flour (SR or P)

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4/175C.

So in one bowl mix the butter and sugar until creamed, add in the eggs, flour and nutmeg and mix until combined. Add in the mashed bananas and again mix until combined.
In the other bowl mix together all of the ingrediants for the topping, it will be quite a dry breadcrumb like mixture, the smaller the crumbs the better.


Fill your muffin cases about 2/3 full. So here I divert from the books recipe as I find that if you add the topping here it just sinks into the mixture and you don't get much of a crunchy top. So I would cook your muffins for 5 minutes or until they are puffed up enough to fill the cases. Then quickly sprinkle on the topping mixture and continue to cook for about 20mins keeping an eye that the top isnt getting too dark.

Remove from oven and leave for 5 mins to cool in the tray and then cool on a rack, or if you are like me and impatient then tuck in taking care not to burn your mouth.


As modeled on my new cake rack which was a christmas present from my mum and dad, but better to keep in an air tight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Home baking, theres nothing like it

Well autumn is definatly here, the weather is grey and miserable and there is the smell of rotting leaves on the ground. Sounds horrible I know but I actually love all of it. Maybe it is just because I work from home so don't have to go out if I don't want to but there is something lovely about sitting in your living room looking out on a rainy day which warms your cockles (stupid english saying that I also love).

As well as working today seemed like the ideal day to do some baking, to me there is nothing like a just warm fresh out the oven cake on a autumnal day. So in raiding my cupboard to make my plain sponge a bit more interesting I found dried fruit which I normally have on my cereal. After a quick phone call to my superstar baker brother for the essential quantities, I was all set. He makes the best victoria sponge known to man so I always know that his advice will bring forth great cakes. I decided to make some cranberry and sultana vanilla buns (also known as cupcakes). Perfect little sweet bites of goodness which I can take for my packed lunch tomorrow.



Anyway so here is the recipe if you would like to try making them. I recommend them just warm with a good old cup of tea, nice and simple. Would also be good with a dollop of cream cheese icing if you have any cream cheese, which I didn't. Of course you can also use most varieties of dried fruit, also good are apricots, raisins and my all time number one favourite cherries.


2 large eggs
4 oz sugar
4 oz unsalted butter or margerine
4 oz self raising flour
half a tsp of vanilla extract
enough dried cranberries and sultanas so that you have them evenly distributed through out the mixture.

This should make around 9 large buns or 12 smaller ones.

Do the usual, preheat oven at gas mark 4. Cream butter and sugar and stir in eggs and add vanilla. Fold in flour, mix in fruit. Put in bun cases in a tin and cook for about 20/25 mins or until slightly golden on top. Leave to slightly cool on cooling rack. EAT!!! Or if you have more will power than me you can keep these in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days or if you are more prepared like my mum in the freezer for ages and then defrost before eating. Perfect for kiddies lunch boxes as it keeps everything else cold.