Cinnamon and Beetroot Muffins

I've always found the concept quite strange of putting carrots in cakes. Why would you put a vegetable you normally have with your Sunday dinner in a cake? But we do, and the thing is, it works! I absolutely love carrot cake - topped with a layer of cream cheese frosting, it's probably up there as one of my favourite afternoon treats. It has a wonderful flavour, it's beautifully moist and it's so sweet. And actually, I guess that answers my question. Carrots are sweet, so it makes perfect sense to put them in a cake. After all, sugar comes from a vegetable - sugar beet - and apparently carrots are pretty high up the scale in terms of their sugar content as well so why not substitute a bit of sugar for a slightly healthier option? In the past, when sugar was reserved only for the rich of society, it was far cheaper to grate a bit of carrot that you could grow in your own back garden than to use the much sought-after sugar. How times have changed...! A bag of sugar only costs 89p at Sainsbury's!

Anyway, I'm getting side-tracked and probably boring you with my historic ramblings. For a while now I've wanted to have a go at putting some kind of vegetable other than carrot into a cake mix, because I'm intrigued to know whether other vegetables work just as perfectly. Well last week I decided to satisfy my intrigue, as I came across a recipe for these beetroot muffins in a Sainsbury's magazine that ended up in our letterbox. I had a lot of fun making them and spent a good twenty minutes grating a lot of beetroot and getting a lot of red all over my hands and the kitchen! But to be honest...I'm not really sure what to make of them! They're definitely sweet enough to go in a cake that's for sure and the vibrant red of the beetroot makes the cakes look tantalisingly appetising! I couldn't stop going on about how red they were every time I ate one. And I even managed to use a bit of beetroot dye to colour the icing. But I think the colour may have been the best bit about them unfortunately. You could still definitely taste undertones of beetroot which you just don't get with carrot cake and beetroot is such an earthy vegetable that sometimes it did feel as if I was eating something that had come straight from the soil! My mum and dad said they liked them, but they were probably being polite, as I don't think they were that convinced. However, I am not going to let this put me off baking with vegetables and I will be persevering! Maybe with the addition of my best friend chocolate, because that always makes everything taste a hundred times better. Anyway, I urge you to make some for yourself and let me know what you think. Because even if you don't like them, I hope you'll be impressed by their astonishing red and the fact that you've just made a cake with beetroot in!    

Oh, and I have to explain the addition of the pink icing and mini eggs on top! I made them just before Easter (as you probably guessed) and felt like I had to decorate them with at least a bit of an Easter theme. But I actually prefer the plain red tops so you can show off that they have beetroot in them!

Cinnamon and Beetroot Muffins (makes 12) 

Ingredients:
500g Fresh Beetroot, peeled, trimmed and coarsely grated
300g Self-Raising Flour
100g Light Brown Soft Sugar
1tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Ground Cinnamon
180ml Sunflower Oil
3 Eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beetroot, flour, baking powder and cinnamon together. 
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the oil.
5. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix together well. 
6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases so they are almost full.
7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until just risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns

I actually made these Hot Cross Buns last weekend during my baking extravaganza when all I wanted to do was be inside the warmth of a kitchen keeping out of the cold. But I thought I'd share them with you today as it's Good Friday and  if we're sticking with tradition, that's when you should be eating them. Not that tradition usually dictates when I eat something! I'd be happy to eat Hot Cross Buns all year round, but there is something special about saving them for Easter. Anyway, enough rambling about when we eat Hot Cross Buns, because in all honesty it doesn't make a bit of difference because they always taste delicious. That's if you choose the right recipe of course. And this recipe that I found ticked all the right boxes for me!

This was the first time I'd made Hot Cross Buns, but they're actually really quite easy to make, so it definitely won't be the last. And I've had a shop-bought one since and it just didn't quite compare. I seem to have turned into some kind of Hot Cross Bun snob! They did not contain anywhere near enough raisins and I could hardly taste the orange and lemon candied peel. Disgraceful! No, but seriously, this recipe I found over on Poires au Chocolat (which is a brilliant Food Blog, I must say!) was just perfect. Beautifully spiced, plenty of fruit and just the right Hot Cross Bun sort of texture. And they tasted wonderful toasted with a generous layer of butter. And a bit of raspberry jam too if you're feeling extravagant.  

I've always been intrigued as well how they make the iconic cross on top. Well now I know. All you need is some flour and water which you make into a paste and pipe in a cross shape on top. It's as easy as that. Actually, I think there are probably several ways of making it, but this method was pretty simple and looked effective too. As for the rest of the recipe, that was pretty straight forward as well. All you need is a bit of patience like all yeast-related things as you wait for them to prove. And the candied peel was a little faffy, but there's no question that it was worth it. They kept surprisingly well too, especially when popped in the toaster. A perfect start to your day or a lovely Easter snack! Well, not necessarily Easter. Just give them a go anyway, because they tasted divine. 

Hot Cross Buns (makes 16)

Ingredients:
For the candied peel:
1 Orange
1/2 Lemon
100ml Water
100g Granulated Sugar
For the dough:
225ml milk
50g Caster Sugar
7g Dried Instant Yeast
450g Strong White Bread Flour
1tsp Salt
1tsp Cinnamon
1/2tsp Ground Ginger
1/4tsp Nutmeg
1/2tsp Salt
100g Raisins
1 Egg, beaten
50g Butter
For the crosses:
1tbsp Plain Flour
1tbsp Water

Method:

1. Begin by melting the butter in a pan along with the milk.
2. Turn the heat up until the milk starts steaming.
3. Pour into a bowl to cool.
4. To make the candied peel, use a vegetable peeler to take bits of peel off the orange and lemon.
5. Cut into small strips about 2-3mm.
6. Place in a pan and cover with about 3-4cm of water.
7. Bring to the boil and let bubble for a few minutes until the water turns yellow. 
8. Strain into a bowl, draining the bitter yellow water away.
9. Repeat the process twice.
10. Combine the sugar and water in a pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. 
11. Turn up the heat and add the peel.
12. Let it bubble until the skin becomes translucent, which should take between 8 and 10 minutes.
13. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and drain the peel, but keep the syrup as well.
14. To make the dough, sift the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg into a bowl.
15. Stir the peel into the milk.
16. Add the raisins, peel and milk into the bowl and stir until it comes together.
17. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and bouncy.
18. Place the dough into a large well-oiled bowl and cover with cling film, then leave somewhere warm until it doubles in size. 
19. Turn the dough out again onto a floured surface and punch down.
20. Cut into 16 pieces and shape into balls.
21. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and arrange the buns on it.
22. Cover with cling film and leave to prove again until puffy for about 45 minutes.
23. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
24. Combine the flour with the water until it forms a paste, then scoop into a piping bag.
25. Uncover the buns and pipe crosses onto them with the paste.
26. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden and hollow when tapped.
27. Brush the syrup left over from the peel on top of the buns.
28. Toast, spread with a generous layer of butter and enjoy!

Best served toasted with a generous layer of butter!