HOT CROSS BUNS AND EASTER CAKES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 39, 21 March 1940, Page 44

HOT CROSS BUNS AND EASTER CAKES

HERE is nothing very difficult in the making of hot cross buns, and they are very delicious. Use the compressed yeast, and follow this reliable recipe, which makes about three dozen. The ingredients are loz. of yeast, 5oz. of butter, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 42 level teaspoon grated nutmeg, % level teaspoon ground cloves, 1% level teaspoon ground ginger; lb. currants, 1 egg, 50z. of castor sugar, 1441b. flour, lb. mixed peel, 34 pint of milk. Put the yeast into a small basin. Add one teaspoon of sugar to it, and mix them together until they liquefy. Make luke-warm % pint of milk and add it to them. Sift 40z. of flour into a large basin. Strain in the yeast mixture, and mix to a smooth batter. Throw a cloth over the basin, and stand in a warm place 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, wash, pick over, and dry the fruit, also shred the peel. Sift the remainder of the flour into another basin with spices. Rub in the butter, add the sugar and the prepared fruit, and mix them well together. When the yeast mixture is ready, gradually stir into it other prepared ingredients, adding also the beaten egg and the remainder of the milk made warm. Mix them all together, and beat well. Then throw a cloth over the basin, and put mixture into a warm place to rise until it swells to double its bulk. Will take about 1% hours. When the dough is ready, turn on to a floured board, and divide it into 36 portions, Work each portion in smooth bun shape. Place buns on lightly greased and floured baking sheets, leaving space between each to allow to rise. Mark a cross on the buns. Cover them lightly with a cloth and stand in a warm place about twenty minutes, or until they are double their size. Put them in a fairly hot oven to bake. They will take about

20 minutes to cook. For a glaze, use 1 dessertspoon of castor sugar, and 2 dessertspoons of milk. Simnel Cake Although this traditional cake was originally supposed to be eaten on MidLent Sunday, or Mothering Sunday, yet it has come to be one of the favourite Easter cakes, because it is fairly rich. keeps well, and is a "pretty" cake, if decorated in the orthodox way with a

few little eggs of marzipan, and a fluffy toy chicken or two. The miniature Simnels are immensely popular with the children — they love being able to have a whole one each! You know the old legend about Simnels, I expect: how Simon and Nellie were husband and wife, who wanted to have a cake for the Easter festival. So a cake was made, after which an argument arose as to the cooking; Simon said it had to be baked, and Nellie said it had to be boiled. As they could come to no final agreement, they decided to halve the mixture, boil one half, and bake the other. When both halves were cooked, Nellie was rather sad about the two cakes; so, as a gesture of goodwill towards her husband, she decided to make it into one cake, by putting the baked and boiled halves together with a marzipan centre; and finally she decided to make the peace by naming the cake with the first part of each of the Christian names, Sim and Nel. Simnel cakes in Sussex are still made in the same way. THE RECIPE: Half a pound of flour, 60z. of butter, 3%41b. of sultanas, 60z. of sugar, 4 eggs, 42 teaspoon of mixed spice, and 42 teaspoon of baking powder. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the eggs separately, and then the rest of the ingredients. Mix half a pound of ground almonds with %4lb. of castor sugar, % a teaspoon of almond essence, and the és of two eggs. Put half the cake mixture into a round tin, then the almond paste rolled out to the correct size, and then the rest of

the cake mixture. Bake in @ moderate oven for 242 hours, approximately, The almond paste in the middle, being cooked with the cake, gives an almond flavour all through. When the cake is cold, form some more almond paste into a roll and place it like a border all round the cake. Rough it over with the point of a knife or fork and return it to the oven to brown a little, covering the centre with a thick round of paper. It is nice to glaze this border of paste by painting it over with milk. When this is again cooled, pour soft icing into the centre, and when almost set, decorate it with a pretty chicken or two, and some wee marzipan eggs, which you may have tinted with colouring. The Almond Paste | Six ounces of ground almonds, 141b.. each of icing and of castor sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice, a few drops of almond essence, and a lightly beaten egg to mix. Make it into a stiff paste, and cover the bowl with a damp cloth, leaving it to stand a while. Mock Almond Paste This is a little cheaper than using ground almonds. Crush up half a pound of round wine biscuits (leave two out) with a rolling-pin. Add half a pound of icing sugar, and mix with 2 beaten eggs and about 2 teaspoons of almond flavouring. You.can make one, too, by sifting equal parts. of icing sugar and ground rice; and working to a paste with a beaten egg, about two teaspoons of almond flavouring and a little lemon juice. It is best to mix a small amount first, and test the flavouring. Miniature Simnels These can be made of a little plainer mixture than the big Simnel cake, but could have a little spice and some cur-

rants. Bake them in paper cases, without any middle layer of paste, but put the wide edge of paste, like a little roll, and marked with a fork, round the outside of each. Brush it with egg or milk and brown it under the grill, then fill the centre with icing and tiny eggs of paste. These are very popular with the kiddies.