Baking a Springtime family favourite, with The Pastry Section
Baking is a great activity for the whole family to join in with, creating a delicious treat that can then be enjoyed together around the dining table. This Springtime, why not make some more of those magical memories with your family, by baking a delicious Spring-themed treat together at home?
We’ve teamed up with artisanal Edinburgh bakery The Pastry Section, to bring you a fantastic recipe for a Hot Cross Bun Loaf – perfect for family sharing. This beautifully seasonal dessert has all the flavours of Springtime, and it’s really easy - meaning little helpers can get involved too.
Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Makes 900g loaf, 8-10 servings
Ingredients
To make the loaf:
- 300g soft butter
- 300g caster sugar
- Five medium eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 75g ground almonds
- 60g mixed candied peel
- 100g sultanas
- Zest and juice of one orange
To make the soaking syrup:
- Juice from one orange
- 70g caster sugar
To make the frosting:
- 200g soft butter
- 400g icing sugar
- 200g full-fat cream cheese
Recipe
- Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees, then line and grease a 900g loaf tin. Set aside.
- Place sultanas in a heatproof bowl and pour on just enough boiling water to cover. Leave to plump up.
- Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy (this usually takes around five minutes). Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate and using a spatula to scrape down the bowl before adding the next egg.
- Drain the sultanas and then tip into the cake mixture, along with the flour, almonds, candied peel, and the orange zest and juice. Beat until the mix is incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and use a spoon or spatula to smooth over the top.
- Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes. After this time, insert a clean skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven and place tin on a cooling rack.
- While the cake is cooling, make the syrup. Juice the orange, and pour into a saucepan along with the sugar. Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat and boil for three minutes until the mixture forms a syrup.
- Pour or brush the syrup over the hot cake and leave to cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled, make the frosting. Beat the butter and icing sugar together – again, this will take around five minutes to turn fluffy and pale. Add 100g of the cream cheese and beat again, and then add the remaining cream cheese and beat until the icing is smooth and creamy.
- Pipe or spread the icing on to the cake, and then it’s time to decorate! You could dust with cinnamon, sprinkle with chopped pistachios, or even add Springtime decorations like edible flowers or even mini chocolate eggs – the choice is yours.
- Slice and serve – it’s the perfect Springtime treat for the whole family to enjoy.
Will you be baking this Spring? We’d love to see your showstopping creations – remember to share pics of your bakes with us and The Pastry Section on Instagram, @the_pastrysection and @millerhomesuk.