RECIPE INSPIRATION
Celebrate Easter, Mothering Sunday or any special occasion with one of our delicious bakes or pretty makes
Spiced biscuit potting shed
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RECIPES SARAH AKHURST AND TAMSIN BURNETT-HALL spring
CRAFTS MORAG FARQUHAR
MAKES 15 cupcakes V HANDS-ON TIME 25 mins TOTAL TIME 45 mins, plus cooling and chilling
Let’s make
YOU’LL NEED: Eggs (hardboiled but still in their shells), assorted spray paint, assorted regular paint (acrylics or tester pots), a very small paint brush or some wooden skewers, baking paper (all craft items available from hobbycraft.co.uk).
1 Spray paint your eggs in stages for full coverage. First, place the eggs on baking paper (to avoid them sticking). Spray the area facing upwards, let it dry, then turn the egg and spray again, repeating until the entire egg is covered.
2 Once dry, paint on small flowers using the regular paint. Keep the design simple, and use either a small brush or the pointed end of a wooden skewer for definition.
FINISHING TOUCH: Either place in individual egg cups for an Easter breakfast table or display grouped in a pretty bowl as a centrepiece.
BLUEBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Who doesn’t love a cupcake? Fresh blueberries and a swirl of conserve through the batter give these pretty cupcakes a lovely, light freshness.
◆ 120g soft unsalted butter
◆ 140g caster sugar
◆ 3 medium eggs
◆ 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
◆ 200g plain flour
◆ ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
◆ 1 tsp baking powder
◆ 125ml buttermilk
◆ 150g blueberries
◆ 3 tbsp blueberry conserve
For the whipped white chocolate ganache
◆ 300g white chocolate, finely chopped
◆ 300ml double cream
◆ 30g unsalted butter
To decorate
◆ 50g blueberries
◆ 100g mini eggs
◆ 45g Milky Bar mini egg bar, finely chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5 and line two muffin tins with 15 deep cupcake cases.
2 Beat the soft butter and sugar in a freestanding mixer or bowl until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla then gently add the flour, bicarb and baking powder. Beat in the buttermilk and then carefully fold through the blueberries and blueberry conserve. Divide the mixture among the cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cakes are risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
3 For the whipped white chocolate ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Put the cream and butter in a small pan and heat gently until the cream just starts to steam. Remove from the heat and pour ove
