Enjoy a decadent afternoon treat with freshly baked toffee-sweet delights and easy fruit conserves

Recipes & food styling Kerrie Worner Styling Imogene Abady Photography Nicky Ryan

Strawberry & rosewater jam
Makes 300ml

 

Put 500g of strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced, in a large microwave-safe glass bowl with 2 cups of caster sugar and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Cook for a further 12-15 minutes on high, stirring every 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of rosewater essence. Test to see if jam sets (see our jam-making tips) then spoon hot jam into hot sterilised jars and seal. Once opened, store in the fridge for up to 2 months.

 

Tangelo & cinnamon marmalade
Makes 300ml

 

Peel a thin layer of rind from 2 of 3 tangelos with a vegetable peeler, cut into thin matchstick-like strips and set aside. Peel all the tangelos and 1 lemon, removing all the white pith. Chop the flesh and put in a food processor with any juice. Process until mixture forms a pulp. Pass mixture through a sieve into a bowl and stir to help push through puree, discarding solids. Put puree into a large microwave-safe bowl with 2 cups of CSR jam setting sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks and 1 star anise, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add strips of rind and cook for a further 15 minutes on high, stirring every 5 minutes. Test to see if marmalade sets (see our jam-making tips), then spoon into hot sterilised jars and seal (tips on setting and storing jam). Once opened, store in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Rhubarb & blueberry jam
Makes 375ml

 

Trim and discard the base and green tops from 1 bunch of rhubarb. Rinse and roughly chop rhubarb and put into a large microwave-safe bowl with 300g of frozen blueberries and 1/4 cup of orange juice. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, add 2 cups of caster sugar and stir until dissolved. Cook for a further 12-15 minutes on high, stirring every 5 minutes. Test to see if jam sets, then spoon hot jam into hot sterilised jars and seal (our tips on setting and storing jams). Once opened, store in the fridge for up to 2 months.

 

Jam doughnut drops
Makes approximately 30

 

 

2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup CSR caster sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
60g butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
1/2 cup CSR sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup strawberry and rosewater jam (see recipe above) or other jam
1-2 tbsp hot water

1. Sift flour into a bowl and stir in sugar. Whisk together eggs and milk, then add to the flour mixture with butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
2. Pour oil in a large saucepan or wok until 6cm deep and put over a medium heat. Drop a small amount of batter in to test if oil is hot enough. If it puffs and turns golden after 30 seconds, it is ready; for deep frying tips, see note below.
3. Drop 3 separate heaped tablespoons of batter into hot oil and cook for 2 minutes, turning over once, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towel. Repeat until mixture is all cooked. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Coat hot doughnuts in cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool.
4. Combine jam with enough water to make mixture smooth and soft enough to pipe. Fit a small piping bag with a 1/2 cm plain tube and fill with jam. With the tip of a knife, make an incision in each doughnut. Pipe a little jam into the centre of each doughnut. Doughnuts will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.
Note: you may need to practise on a few doughnuts before getting the temperature correct to cook the dough through to the centre. Temperature and cooking time will need adjusting as you continue cooking. Reduce temperature if the doughnuts brown too quickly.

Chocolate & orange chelsea buns
Makes 15

 

 

2 x 7g sachets dry yeast
1/4 cup CSR caster sugar
1 1/4 cups warm milk
4 cups plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 egg, beaten
80g melted butter, plus 1 tbsp extra for greasing
1 cup currants
1 orange, zest finely grated and juiced
50g butter, softened
1/2 cup CSR brown sugar
150g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup honey

1. Put yeast, sugar and milk in a jug, whisk with a fork and stand in a warm place for 10 minutes until foaming. Sift flour and mixed spice into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in yeast mixture, egg and melted butter until combined and mixture forms a dough.
2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 35 minutes or until doubled in size. Soak currants in orange juice for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 26cm x 40cm rectangular roasting pan with extra melted butter. Punch dough down with your fist, turn out onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes until smooth. Roll out dough to a 50cm x 40cm rectangle. Spread softened butter onto dough, then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and chocolate. Drain currants, combine with zest and sprinkle over dough.
4. Take one of the long sides of the dough and roll up firmly like a Swiss roll. Trim 1 inch off each end, then cut into 15 even pieces and place in tin, close together. Cover with a tea towel and put
in a warm place to rise for 20 minutes. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brown. Drizzle with honey and allow to cool in tin. Drizzle with extra honey before serving.

Vanilla finger buns
Makes 12

 

 

4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 x 7g sachets dry yeast
Pinch salt
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
100g unsalted butter, melted
Olive oil spray
Extra 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup CSR sugar

Icing:
2 cups CSR pure icing sugar
1 tsp strawberry essence
2-3 tbsp water

1. Sift flour into a bowl and stir in sugar, yeast and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Stir until mixture forms a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 2 oven trays with olive oil spray. Punch down dough with your fist, turn out onto lightly floured surface and shape into a thick 35cm-long log. Cut dough into
1.5cm-thick slices, roll each slice into a 15cm length, then plait two pieces together, pinching the ends together. Transfer to trays and place about 3cm apart. Cover buns with a tea towel
and put in a warm place to rise for 10 minutes.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until buns are lightly golden and sound hollow when tapped. While buns are baking, put the extra milk and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until mixture comes to the boil. Remove from heat. Brush hot buns with milk mixture as they come out of the oven and allow to cool on trays.
4. To make icing, sift icing sugar into a bowl, add essence and just enough water to form a thick pouring icing. Spoon icing on the tops of buns and allow to set.

Pecan butterscotch sticky buns
Makes 12

 

 

3/4 cup warm milk
2 tbsp CSR brown sugar
7g sachet dry yeast
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
40g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
Extra 50g unsalted butter,
softened
220g pecan halves
1 cup maple syrup
Extra 1/2 cup CSR brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Put milk, sugar and yeast in a jug and whisk with a fork until combined. Put in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foaming. Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl. Make a well in the
centre and add yeast mixture, butter and eggs. Stir until
combined and mixture forms a dough.
2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about
45 minutes or until doubled in size.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Use the extra butter to thickly grease a standard-size, 12-hole muffin tin. Put 5 pecan halves into the base of each hole. Top with 1 tbsp of maple syrup. Set muffin tin aside. Finely chop remaining pecans and combine with extra brown sugar.
4. Punch down dough with your fist, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until just smooth. Roll out dough to a 36cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread sour cream onto dough then sprinkle with sugar and pecan mixture. Take one of the long sides, roll dough up firmly like a Swiss roll. Trim 1 inch off each end, then cut into 12 x 3cm-thick slices. Place slices in holes of muffin tin, cover with a tea towel and put in a warm place to rise for 20 minutes.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown. Cool for 5 minutes. Lift out with a butter knife. Spoon out any syrup and pecans, and put on top.

Jam-making tips