Mango Muffins

I've been reading Julia Child's autobiography/biography My Life in France on my newly acquired Kindle and it just confirms for me how much I love her. It's her openness and willingness to throw herself wholeheartedly into her new life with husband Paul in France that I find so enchanting. That, and of course, her absolute fascination with food, particularly French cuisine. I fully intend to wax lyrical about the book and about Julia herself, but not here.

This blog is purely for the fruits of such inspiration. So, duly inspired by Julia Childs and the fact that I bought two crates of mangoes yesterday and am casting around for what to do with them before they spoil, I've come up with a recipe for Mango Muffins.


Mango Muffins
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (65ml) vegetable oil - don't use olive oil, the flavour is too strong
• 1/2 cup (125ml) milk - a little extra if the mix is too dry
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (110g) white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups (220g) plain flour
• 1 cup (or 1 large) mango, peeled and diced - be adventurous and liberal with the mango
• spray oil

Method

Preheat oven to 190C. Oil a 12 cup muffin tin or use paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine oil, milk and egg. Beat lightly.

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt baking powder and sugar. Toss in diced mango and stir to coat with flour. This is an important step and is often missed out. When you add fresh fruit to cake or muffin mix, it's important to coat it in the dry ingredients/flour mix to stop the fruit from disintegrating when cooking.

Pour in milk mixture and fold together trying not to crush the mango too much.

Spoon mixture into muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the tops bounce back from the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes and remove from the tin.

These are deliciously light, soft and fluffy muffins. They can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days or frozen...if they last that long!

More to come...

The absence of posts doesn't indicate any lack of cooking going on in my house. In fact, I have been feverishly cooking for DH's 40th birthday celebrations with 65 guests. So recipes will be forthcoming shortly, but as you can imagine, the pressures of organising and cooking for said birthday function has kept me away from my other love... writing.

Fear not, dear reader, I'm baaaack...and will be posting with pics again very soon.

Easy Cheesey Snacks

This super-simple recipe was inspired by the fact that I ran out of packaged lunch box snacks to put in my boys' lunch boxes today and couldn't quite muster the courage required to brave the supermarket. Cheese straws; much maligned, much forgotten, but such a quick, easy snack that's delicious. You can make them a bit more posh by using different cheeses, as I've done here, or keep them simple with reliable cheddar or Colby (for those who like their cheese creamy but essentially flavourless).

Cheese Straws
Ingredients

• 2 sheets ready-made frozen puff pastry (you could go to the trouble of making your own, but really, why bother when there are great quality puff pastries available?)
• Red Leicester cheese
• Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.

Slice very finely or grate cheese over pastry sheet (one cheese on one pastry sheet).

Press the cheese into the pastry sheet. The pastry should have thawed sufficiently in the time it took you to grate/shred the cheese for you to press the cheese firmly into it.

Cut the pastry into long, thin strips (straws). Yes, I do this after I put the cheese on top and it works well.

Line a biscuit tin or flat baking sheet with baking paper. Arrange the straws on the tin with 2 - 5 cm between straws to allow for expansion.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes (mine took 13 minutes). Allow to cool completely on baking tin out of oven. Store in an airtight container.

A few final notes:

• Remember that firmer cheeses will work better in this recipe. The soft cheeses melt too quickly and tend to run all over the place causing a mess! 
• You can dress these straws up by sprinkling herbs (rosemary chopped up very fine works well, as does sage) or paprika for more adult tastes. 
• If you're using a blue cheese, go for the firm blue cheeses rather than the blue castello.

Something's Fishy

As part of the "no red meat during the week" campaign, we've been increasing our intake of seafood. Bouillabaisse seemed like the perfect fit.

I've wanted to have a go at this scrumptious seafood soup for a long time, but have avoided it largely because my youngest son hasn't coped well with seafood. His intolerance seems to be improving now and, more importantly, he's keen to try more.

I was afraid this was going to be a complicated dish with lots of obscure ingredients, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy.

So here's my version of a perennial favourite.

Cheat's Bouillabaisse
Ingredients:

• 2tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 red onions, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 4 bay leaves
• generous pinch of saffron
• salt and pepper
• orange peel from 1 orange (use a zester)
• 1 cup good white wine
• 750ml fish stock, warmed
• 500g clams
• 250g prawns (shelled and deveined)
• 250g scallops
• 500g Spanish mackerel, cubed
• 1 smoked trout, skinned, filleted and shredded
• 1/2 cup coriander /cilantro leaves (leaves only)

Rouille:

• 2tbsps hot fish stock
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup white bread, crusts cut off
• 1 red chilli
• 1/2tsp salt

Method:

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add onions, garlic and bay leaves and fry till onions are translucent.

Add tomatoes, saffron and orange peel and cook gently for around 5 minutes.

Add white wine and fish stock and bring to the boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes.

This is a good time to make the rouille if you're using it. Put fish stock in the bottom of a blender or food processor. Add garlic, chilli, salt and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the food processor still running, add the olive oil in a slow drizzle (it's like making mayonnaise). Stop blending when the oil is incorporated. Place the rouille in a bowl ready to serve with the soup - use sparingly like you would Tabasco sauce.

When the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, raise the heat and add clams. When clams pop open (this is fun, it's a bit like watching popcorn - use a glass lid on your pot so you can see it), add the mackerel. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add scallops and prawns and cook for a further 5 minutes.

To serve, place the bouillabaisse in a bowl, sprinkle the shredded smoked trout and the coriander leaves over the top. Allow each person to add their own rouille.

Serves 4 - 6

What's Up Doc?

I've been wanting to try my hand at cooking rabbit for some time now. As a meat, it completely intrigues me. Not quite red meat in a beef kind of way, but not white meat like chicken or pork either. So today, I decided to get some from my lovely local butcher (the trip there is always fun since he flirts like mad with all the customers!). He very kindly chopped it up for me and gave me lots of encouragement.

I trawled both recipe books and the internet for recipes and in the end, came up with a mish-mash that I'm pretty happy with. It's a bit reminiscent Coq au vin, but here it is...

Rabbit Stew
Ingredients:

• 1 rabbit (chopped into small pieces by the lovely butcher)
• 2 brown onions, finely sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, whole
• 3 strips pancetta, finely sliced
• 3 medium carrots, cubed
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 - 5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 8 medium-sized button mushrooms, halved
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup good red wine
• 2 tbsps good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 litre water or chicken stock

Flour for dredging:

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 tsps salt
• 2 tsps smoked paprika (Spanish paprika is really good)

Method:

Preheat oven to 190C.

Mix flour, salt and paprika. Dredge rabbit in flour and keep aside.

Heat oil in heavy based pan and fry pancetta strips till crispy. Remove and reserve for the end.

Brown garlic pods gently. Remove and reserve.

Brown rabbit pieces, a few at a time. Remove and reserve.

Fry onions and mushrooms. Add a little salt (a pinch is plenty) as this helps to soften the onions quickly. When the onions are translucent, add the browned garlic, fennel, carrot and bay leaves. Fry for a few minutes until fennel softens.

Arrange rabbit pieces on top. Add water/stock, red wine and balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning and add salt if required.

Bring to the boil then transfer to the oven. Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until rabbit is tender and comes easily off the bone.

Sprinkle the reserved pancetta on top just before serving. Serve hot.

Ebony and Ivory....

Brownies seem to be making a come back and this weekend, I offered to make brownies for my godson's birthday party. Never one to take the road most travelled, I wondered what brownies would be like with white chocolate instead.

Let me tell you, they're delicious. That's a huge admission coming from someone who divides the world into "those who like white chocolate" and "those with taste". This particular use of white chocolate has even me admitting that it may have its uses.

Needless to say, they don't come out a rich brown colour, but they are a satisfying caramel colour. My youngest son has decided that they also deserve a name change, so in our house, we're calling them "Whities".

Whities
Ingredients

• 125g white chocolate (roughly chopped or use "melts")
• 125g butter, cubed
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (get the best quality)
• 1 cup plain flour, sifted
• 1/4 tsp baking powder, sifted
• 100g peanuts, roughly chopped

Method
Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease a 20 x 30cm baking tin and line base and sides with baking paper.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot water, stirring until smooth. Allow to cool a little.

In an electric mixer or food processor, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3 - 4 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Stir in the nuts.

Spoon the misture into the prepared baking tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until caramel coloured and the top has formed a crust. DO NOT OVERCOOK - this isn't a cake and should be soft and moist in the middle.

Allow to cool in the tin. Remove and cut into squares or rectangles. Dust with icing sugar. Whities can be stored in an airtight container for 3 - 4 days or frozen for longer.

For the regular Brownies, substitute the same amount of dark chocolate.

Deviation from the Theme!

So after making the claim that I'm returning to my roots and becoming a river to my people, I completely deviated from the theme last night. It was bruschetta made with a ceviche of Tasmanian salmon for entrée, Tandoori Red Snapper, rice and roasted brussel sprouts for mains and pumpkin pie with a biscuit crust for dessert.

So here's the Ceviche Bruschetta recipe...

Tasmanian Salmon Ceviche Bruschetta (this is NOT a weight-watcher's recipe!)

• 2 medium sized Tasmanian salmon fillets (skin off)
• 1 red onion
• 1 red chilli
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 - 2 limes
• salt to taste
• fresh basil leaves
• fresh corriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100g butter
• Ciabatta or similar bread, sliced

Dice the onion and chilli finely and place in a glass/ceramic bowl. Chiffonade the herbs and add them with the zest of one lime to the onion and chilli. Slice the salmon into 2 inch long pieces that are so thin they're almost translucent. Mix with the onion mix and squeeze the limes over. Add salt to taste and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for around 4 hours.

Just before you're ready to serve, heat a heavy-based pan with the oil and butter in it. Add the garlic and fry gently. Add the bread slices and fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan and drain. Discard the garlic.

Dice the tomatoes very finely and mix through the ceviche at the last minute when you're ready to serve. Pile the ceviche on top of the bread and serve.

Serves = 12 slices of bread

I'll post the Tandoori fish, brussel sprouts and pumpkin pie recipes by and by...

Home-land cooking

Recently I've been exploring a few new avenues for food. Well, one old avenue and one new one.

The New...
We're aiming, as a family, to eat less meat...at least during the weekdays. The ultimate goal is to not eat anything with a face during the week, and paint the town red (meat) at the weekends if we feel like it. Even this small adjustment to our diet should have some nice pay-offs.

It should improve the state of our health (and waistlines) for a start and then there's the additional benefit to the environment. So how did this all come about? From watching another episode of TED talks, of course. Graham Hill makes a good case for weekday vegetarianism, but we're not game enough to go the whole-hog just yet (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian.html). So we're doing this in small increments. We figure we can manage not eating red meat during the week. We could even manage without poultry or pork, but we need something. So what's our solution? Seafood.

Seems simple, doesn't it? The problem is, I have one child who doesn't like shellfish particularly (I'm convinced there's probably a food intolerance at play there). That limits the seafood options. So faced with the prospect of fish every week night for dinner, I've been plumbing the depths of my, admittedly shallow, repertoire of culinary knowledge. So what's my epiphany? Return to my roots.

And the Old...
My father's family comes from Ponani, one of the oldest ports in Kerala, a tiny town and an important fishing centre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponnani). They lived and breathed fish. My memories of holidays at his home include eating fish at every meal... every meal...even breakfast. We're not talking smoked kippers here, we're talking serious fish curries...and hot. My sister remembers eating a fish curry for breakfast on the first day of her six week stay at my Grandmother's house and then having a stomach upset as a result of the chilli for the remainder of the six weeks! This is not cooking for the faint-hearted, or tender-stomached.

It is, however, a tidy solution to my week-day meat-free dilemma - eat fish and introduce the children to an important part of their cultural heritage and my childhood at the same time. It also doesn't hurt that it's a good way to acclimatise them to higher levels of chilli before an impending trip to India. So the recipes I'll be posting for the next little while will draw on my rich cultural heritage and reflect the cuisine of my father's family. I hope I do them justice...

Kedgeree - a hearty start to the day

Kedgeree is a terrific way to start the day. The version of kedgeree that's popularly made is a British dish. It's thought to have originated from kitcherie or kitchiri - an Indian vegetarian dish made with rice and lentils.

The story goes that the British brought a version of this dish back during colonial times. The British version incorporates fish (usually a smoked variety). My version uses beautiful fresh fillets and was made mild enough for the kids to enjoy.

It's filling, delicious and a brilliant way to start the day.

Ingredients
2 cups (160ml cup) Basmati rice
4 x 160ml cups water
200 - 250g Tasmanian salmon fillet
200 - 250g blue groper fillet
200 - 250g pink snapper fillet
6 - 8 spring onions
1 red onion
1 inch piece ginger diced
1 red chilli (more if you like it hot) diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
200ml cream
5 eggs hard boiled and diced

Method

• Wash the rice in cold tap water to remove as much starch as possible. You can skip this process if you like, but it will make the final product more stodgey and less fluffy.
• Cook the rice in the 4 cups of water as you normally would (I like to use either a rice cooker or cook it in the microwave).
• While the rice is cooking, slice the fish very finely, dice the eggs, onions, chilli and ginger and chop the spring onion.
• Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and fry the onion until translucent.
• Add the chilli and ginger and fry for another minute or two.
• Add the fish and turmeric and stir gently until the fish is just cooked. This will only take a few minutes.
• Add the cream and diced eggs and mix through.
• Add salt to your tastes. Turn off the heat.
• Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork, mix it in and add the chopped spring onion.

This is a really quick and easy recipe. The real secret to the flavour lies in using really fresh firm fish.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

So I woke up this morning and thought "it's Good Friday...and I feel like making hot cross buns". I knew I had a recipe somewhere that I could tweak.  Since I've found a brilliant pizza dough recipe, I tend to use it as the basis for pretty much everything - including these hot cross buns.

Ingredients

• 50g castor sugar (plus 1 level teaspoon)
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 450g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp mixed spice
• 75g currants
• 50g chocolate buttons or melts
• 50 ml warmed milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 50g softened butter
• 150ml warm water

For the Glaze

• 2 tbsps sugar
• 2 tbsps water

Method

• Preheat oven to 220C.
• Mix milk and water and heat in microwave for 1.5 - 2 mins.
• Put all ingredients except egg, milk and water into a food processor and mix. Add egg while mixing.
• Gradually add milk and water while while running the food processor. Mix until dough comes together.
• Mix for a further 2 minutes.
• Place dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until at least doubled in size.
• Beat down to original size, shape into 12 buns and place on baking sheet lined with baking paper.
• Allow to rise.
• While this is happening, make the dough for the crosses.
• Mix 110g plain flour and 2 tbsps of water into a dough. Roll out thinly and cut into strips.
• Dampen the buns and place the strips over in a cross pattern (tuck them just under the bun).
• Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Place a tray of hot water into the oven (this helps to keep the buns moist).
• While baking, make the glaze.
• Melt the sugar and water over a gentle heat.
• When the buns are cooked, take them out of the oven and brush with the glaze while still hot (this helps the glaze to be absorbed).
• Allow to cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

This recipe is very simple and quick. It's a great last-minute recipe.

Happy Easter!

Scrumptious Sweet Scrolls

Sweet scrolls make a perfect tea time treat!

I had made a Vegemite and cheese version of these delicious scrolls first and they had proved to be such a hit that I thought I'd try the sweet version. The basic dough recipe comes from an adaptation of the pizza dough recipe I use (which was from Larousse Gastronomique).

Ingredients

• 3 cups plain flour
• 2 1/2 tsps yeast
• 1 1/2 tbsps sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 300 - 350 ml warm water (I microwave for 1.5 - 2 mins)
• 3 cups mixed sultanas, raisins, cranberries (dried) and candied peel
• 2 tbsps brown sugar (Muscovado sugar adds a really rich flavour)
• Strawberry or apricot jam (for glazing)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Place flour, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil into food processor with dough hook and mix.
• Add warm water slowly while mixing (don't turn the machine off) till dough comes together and is smooth.
• Continue to mix for a minute or two longer (this means you won't have to knead it afterwards).
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Leave in a warm spot for an hour or until at least doubled in size.
• While dough is rising, mix the brown (or Muscovado) sugar and fruit and allow to macerate.
• When dough has risen, divide in half and roll each half very thin into a rectangle - I find rolling between two sheets of baking paper works well.
• Sprinkle the fruit-sugar mix over the dough and roll the rectangle into a log from the long end. You should end up with a long log of dough.
• Seal the edge and cut into 4cm pieces.
• Arrange the pieces close together (not touching) on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
• Bake for 20 - 22 mins until scrolls are puffed and nicely browned.
• Remove from the oven. Heat the jam and brush onto the scrolls while warm (not hot - DON'T BOIL THE JAM).
• Allow the scrolls to cool thoroughly, store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Here's a tip about the bowl you place your dough in - if it's too wide, your dough won't rise nicely. Aim for a deep bowl instead, this will allow your dough to rise beautifully.

Bread Dough by Ratio

Freshly baked bread smells divine!

Baking bread has to be one of the most soothing activities I can think of. There's something magical about bringing the yeast to life and watching the dough grow. And nothing beats kneading dough for catharsis. If I'm feeling crabby at someone or frustrated at the world, bread dough can soothe me in a way that very little else can. And the smell of freshly baked bread.... Heaven!

There are some important facts to note about bread dough.

• If you have access to instant or live yeast, you are likely to have better dough than if you have only dried yeast.
• The more yeast you add, the faster the dough will rise, but that doesn't necessarily make for a better dough.
• Leavening a dough for longer can make for a more flavoursome dough... but it is possible to allow a dough too much rising time (thereby killing the yeast - remember yeast is alive).
• Sugar is important. This is what the yeast feeds on.
• You must knead the dough, allow it to rise, knead again and allow to rise before baking. The second kneading is very important. It helps to redistribute the yeast more evenly through the dough and makes for a more evenly risen bread.
• Baking the bread with a tray of water in the oven helps to achieve a moist, fluffy bread.

So here's the recipe that I'm using at the moment. It's a good simple recipe and is based on Michael Ruhlman's recipe in his Ratio book.

Ingredients (based on the ratio of flour : water = 5 : 3)

• 500g plain (baker's) flour
• 300 - 350g water (warm - I heat it up in the microwave for 1.5 mins)
• 10g salt
• 1 tsp yeast (instant)
• 50g butter (softened)
• enough sugar to start the yeast (1.5 - 2 tsps roughly)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Measure the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor.
• Mix using a dough hook and add the warm water while mixing. Stop adding water as the dough comes together.
• Do not overmix in the food processor. Remove the dough and knead by hand.
• The dough is sufficiently kneaded when you can stretch a small piece of it into a translucent sheet without tearing it.
• Place in a lightly oiled/greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise.
• When doubled in size, remove from the bowl and knead again. The dough is ready when it is springy and hard to knead.
• Place in a lightly oiled/greased bowl, cover with fresh plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise again.
• When risen, the dough can be shaped (into a loaf tin, into a plait, into a round loaf - whatever shape you like).
• This is when you might add sea salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds to the top, or brush with milk for a nice glaze.
• Place a tray of hot (or just boiled) water in the oven as a steam bath. Place the bread dough in the oven.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until browned and it emits a hollow sound when tapped.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a board to cool completely.
• Cover in a clean tea towel and store in an airtight container.

Spring onion and sea salt encrusted bread

Remember this is a fresh bread and meant to be eaten within a day or two. It's so delicious, it doesn't usually last more than a day in our house anyway!

You can jazz it up in all sorts of ways. Add cheese, grated potato, sprinkle coarse (sea) salt on the top, brush with milk (makes a lovely glaze), sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds - whatever takes your fancy. You'll probably find that you experiment more once you've made this dough a few times.

Love and Cupcakes

I decided this week to make cupcakes. Those of you who have read previous posts know how deeply I love to cook; how it nourishes my soul as well as my appetite. So making cupcakes is as much an expression of my love as it is a tasty treat for B1 and B2.

If only the cupcakes had known this and cooperated, all would have been well. This week was one of cupcake disasters. I made three successive batches of cupcakes following the recipe to the letter. Baking is exact science and cakes are not forgiving of any deviation from the recipe. The ratio of solids to liquids to fats is precise. Knowing this, I scoured through my cupcake recipe book, double-checked Michael Ruhlman's Ratio book and made sure the butter and eggs were at room temperature before I started.

Three batches of cupcakes were made. Three batches of cupcakes went sailing into the rubbish bin. Well, ok, two batches went into the bin. The third was rescued by B1 who threw himself in the path of the exiting cupcakes and barred their path with his person. His view of food borders on obsessive and the thought of  losing another batch to the bin was more than he could bear.

Then came the four-day-migraine which put paid to any notions of repeating the cupcake experiment. Today, heart in mouth and courage pinned, I went at it again. I threw aside my Cupcake Recipes book, Googled some good recipes and used the principles I'd learned in Ruhlman's Ratio. With all of this, I came up with a scrumptious, lightly chocolate, fluffy cupcake. So if you're in the mood for cupcakes, here's the recipe (and yes, that's them at the top of this post).

Slightly Lightly Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 150 g softened butter
• 150 g superfine (castor) sugar
• 175 g self raising flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake papers (use the good ones, they hold their shape better).
• Measure butter and sugar into a bowl.
• Measure and sift flour and cocoa into another bowl.
• Crack eggs into separate bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
• Beat sugar and butter with electric mixer until light and creamy.
• Add vanilla extract and beat again.
• Add eggs a little at a time, beating well between each addition (this is an important step and will stop the mix from curdling).
• Add flour mix and milk alternately and continue beating during additions till all ingredients are well mixed.
• Divide mixture evenly between the patty cases. Do not fill - 2/3 to 3/4 is plenty!
• Bake for 20 mins or until well risen, firm and springs back to the light touch.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 5 mins.
• Transfer to wire rack and allow to fully cool before icing.
• Ice as prefered (though they're delicious without icing too).

The key to this recipe is to work quickly and not overwork the mix. Overworking the mix will result in flat cupcakes (it ruins the raising agent in the SR flour).

Enjoy!