Dish: 3 divine recipes for Easter pastries

Fill the house with deliciously spicy notes with Easter treats that will keep crowds coming back for more…and more…

The ultimate bread and butter pudding

For 6 persons

Transform your morning tea
into the perfect dessert using hot rolls baked in a delicious silky orange custard.

Ingredients

60 g butter, at room temperature
5-6 hot cross buns, torn in half
¼ cup apricot jam
300ml milk
250ml cream
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, finely grated zest only
Vanilla ice cream or ice cream, for serving

directions

1. With a little butter, lightly grease a 24cm baking dish. Preheat the oven to 160°C rotating heat.

2. Spread remaining butter on one side of each bread half. Arrange in the dish leaving many edges protruding to become crispy. Pour the jam on top.

3. Whisk milk, cream, eggs, egg yolks, sugar, Cointreau, vanilla and orange zest until sugar is dissolved. Pour the pastry cream mixture over the buns and leave to soak for half an hour. You may need to do this in two batches for it to be absorbed.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the pastry cream is set in the middle and the edges are golden brown and crispy. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then serve with ice cream or cream.

– Recipe by Claire Aldous

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donut Cakes

Give 9

These delicious cinnamon and sugar puffs aren’t a yeast doughnut, but a simple two-step method that relies on gentle mixing when making the dough. A great recipe to cook with your kids. Enjoy while still hot.

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup of milk
1 large egg size 7
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To finish
½ cup caster sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup melted butter

directions

1. Lightly grease 9 holes of a standard muffin pan. Preheat the oven to 180°C rotating heat.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Whisk together milk, egg, butter and vanilla then pour over flour mixture. Mix gently but carefully but
don’t overdo it.

4. Divide batter between holes in prepared pan and bake for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden.

5. To finish: Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

6. When cool enough to handle and work with one cake at a time, brush lightly with melted butter, then add sugar to coat all sides. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

– Recipe Claire Aldous

Spiced Caramel Donuts Filled with Salted Caramel

Gives 18

Best eaten on the day of manufacture, these golden donuts will brighten up any occasion.

Ingredients

Donuts
8g instant dry yeast
¼ cup caster sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
3¼ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 large egg size 7
1 large 7-gauge egg yolk
80g melted butter
1.25 L high smoke point cooking oil
Salted Caramel Topping
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of cream
1 cup store-bought salted caramel sauce (or see recipe here)
15g of butter
Vanilla mascarpone
200g mascarpone
150g sour cream
3 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
spicy sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ cup caster sugar

directions

1. For the donuts: Whisk the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the hot milk and let stand for 8-10 minutes or until the top is frothy.

2. Put the flour, remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon and ginger in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the whole egg, yolk and 70 grams of melted butter. Add the yeast and egg mixtures to the stand mixer and mix for 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook and mix for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth.

4. Use the remaining butter to lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with cling film and let rest for 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.

5. Degas the dough, then break off pieces and roll into about 18 balls. Place the balls well spaced out on baking sheets lined with baking paper and leave to rest for another 30 minutes.

6. For the salted butter caramel filling: Whisk the cornstarch with the cream. Heat the salted caramel sauce to lukewarm, then stir in the cornmeal mixture. Add the butter and heat in 30 second increments in the microwave (or in a saucepan on the stove) whisking in between, until thickened. Refrigerate for 2 hours before using as a garnish.

7. For the vanilla mascarpone: beat all ingredients together until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.

8: For the spiced sugar: Combine all the ingredients on a plate and set aside until ready to use.

9. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan and cook the donuts for 2-3 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen towels and roll in the spiced sugar, then let cool for an hour.

10. To assemble: To fill the donuts, use a piping bag with a long nozzle to press deep into the donut. First, pour a good squirt of vanilla mascarpone into each of them, clean the bag and the nozzle and repeat with the salted caramel.

Note from the cook: If you let the caramel turn amber, it may become too bitter because the residual heat will continue to cook the sugar even when it is removed from the heat.

– Recipe by Sarah Tuck

Find other good recipes on plat.co.nz