Rather nice little cakes

It was a member of the writing group’s birthday yesterday, and to celebrate I baked him a cake – no dried fruit and no jam, please he’s did, so I did plain chocolate, with a chocolatey filling and icing sugar sprinkled on the top. One of the others has difficulties with gluten – if I’d thought properly I could have just made a gluten free chocolate cake, instead I made some orange and apple buns. Unfortunately they were devoured by ravening wolves so I have no picture… actually, there were no wolves ravening or otherwise in our sitting room yesterday, just hungry writers.

It was the simplest of recipes, just the usual cake formula, four, four, four, butter, sugar, flour and two eggs – except I made a larger quantity. The buns had a firm but nice, moist texture, the apple having disappeared leaving only a slight hint of their flavour. I guess if I had cut the apples into chunks they would have been more present… but maybe not.

Orange and apple birthday buns

6 oz butter
6 oz caster sugar
6 oz gluten-free self-raising flour
3 eggs
as much orange essence as you think necessary
1 dessert apple grated

whisk the butter and sugar until the mixture is very pale, light and creamy
add the flour and eggs alternately
add the orange essence and the grated apple
put into bun tins or paper bun cases
cook for 30-40 mins at gas mark 4, 180 C, 360 F, depending on size and checking they’re not catching on the top – if they are put a piece of grease-proof paper over them
allow to cool and decorate with whatever you fancy, for example butter cream or icing