Maximum taste, cinnamon fuss

CINNAMON ROLLS

Ingredients (serves 12): ■ 250ml milk ■ 9g dried yeast ■ 1 egg ■ 125g brown sugar ■ 1 tsp ground cardamom ■ ½ tsp salt ■ 450g strong flour, plus extra for dusting ■ 100g butter, softened ■ Egg wash For the filling: ■ 50g butter, softened ■ 2 tsp ground cinnamon ■ 80g brown sugar

For the glaze: ■ 4 tbsp condensed milk ■ ½ tsp ground cinnamon ■ Icing sugar for dusting, optional

Method: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C. 2. In a saucepan, warm the milk to 25-30C. Remove from the heat, transfer into a small bowl and allow to cool for a few seconds if too hot. 3. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. 4. In the meantime, in a mixing bowl, combine the egg, brown sugar, cardamom and salt. 5. Pour over the yeasted milk mixture and slowly mix in two-thirds of the strong flour. 6. Add the remaining flour and softened butter and bring the mixture together with your hands to form a soft and sticky dough. Knead for 2-3 minutes until just smooth. Do not overwork the dough. 7. Keep the dough in the bowl and cover with cling film or a wet clean towel. Let the dough proof and rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size. 8. In the meantime, in a second bowl, make the butter filling. Mix the 50g butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together until fully combined. Keep aside at room temperature. 9. Once the dough is proofed, transfer it onto a floury work surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle about 15mm thick and spread the butter filling evenly on top. 10. Carefully roll the dough into a long sausage, short end to short end, then slice into 6-8 portions. Place the cinnamon rolls onto a baking tray. Brush with egg wash and set aside for another 20-30 minutes to proof again. 11. Once ready, place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a cooling rack. 12. When cooled, drizzle with condensed milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and icing sugar, if desired. Set aside for a further 20 minutes. 13. Best enjoyed on the same day for freshness, but you can also freeze the buns and refresh in the oven.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients (serves 12): ■ 160g butter ■ 160g brown sugar ■ 3 eggs ■ 150g flour ■ 60g cocoa powder ■ 1 tsp baking powder ■ 100ml Irish cream liqueur ■ 50g dark chocolate, chopped   For the Buttercream Icing: ■ 160g butter ■ 400g icing sugar ■ 100ml Irish cream liqueur

Method: 1. Pre-heat oven to 170C and line a cupcake tin with paper cases. 2. In a bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, eggs and cream liqueur. Beat well until well combined and smooth, then add the chopped dark chocolate. 3. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases. Transfer into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. 4. In the meantime, prepare the buttercream icing. In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth, add a third of the icing sugar and beat well. Add the rest of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Pour in the cream liqueur while beating until smooth and soft. 5. Place the buttercream in a piping bag with a star nozzle and place in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow it to settle. 6. Remove from the fridge and pipe the buttercream icing onto the cooled cupcakes. If you have some, decorate with extra chocolate shards and a dusting of cocoa powder. Enjoy within 2-3 days

TOP TIP: THIS SIMPLE FINISHING TOUCH IS THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Icing and cake glazing is always the finishing touch to a cake. A dust of icing sugar sometime suffices but so many recipe exist to vary every week! I am using condensed milk for glazing my cinnamon rolls, but cream cheese icing would be delicious too.

For a traditional glaze would will need 4-5 tablespoon of icing sugar, a small pinch of ground cinnamon ( or other flavour such as lemon zest, cocoa powder,…) and just enough water ( About 2 tablespoons) to stir until the right consistency is achieve