Jubilee Themed Baking

It is not long now until the Queen’s Jubilee which has inspired me to make some British themed goodies.

I had a look on the internet to get the creative juices flowing and stumbled across BakingMad. They had a special section on Union Jack cakes which got me thinking about making some Union Jack biscuits.

I used the recipe for Mini Me’s birthday party last year and they were a resounding success. They were devoured within minutes which resulted in complaints from my mum as she wasn’t quick enough to grab one.

Thinking about the best of British Cakes, I thought I would make some vanilla cupcakes using my basic sponge mix (omitting the baking powder) and topped a mascarpone frosting with strawberries and blueberries to keep with the British colours. I was pleasantly surprised to see a recipe for a low calorie Victoria Sponge cake which would be great for those who still want to celebrate but watch their weight at the same time.

Double Biscuits

Ingredients:

125g Butter

75g Caster Sugar

1 Egg Yolk, beaten

200g Plain Flour, sifted

Pinch of Salt

450g Royal Icing Sugar

Food Colouring – your own preference

Smooth Jam – any flavour that you fancy

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 160 Fan Assisted Oven / Gas Mark 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Put the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly blended.
2. Stir in the beaten egg yolk. Add the sifted flour and salt, and then mix with a round-bladed knife until the mixture forms clumps. Gather the dough together with your hands.
3. Lay on a sheet of clingfilm on a work surface. Cover with another sheet of clingfilm and roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Remove the top sheet of clingfilm and cut the dough using your choice of cutter.
4. Put the biscuits on the baking trays, leaving a gap between each one then bake for 12-13 minutes until golden brown. Leave on the trays for 5 minutes or until hard, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Put 75ml cold water in a bowl and add the royal icing and a couple of drops of food colouring. Beat with a spoon for 5 minutes or until smooth.
6. Spread over only half of the biscuits using a spoon and leave to set.
7. On the remaining biscuits, spread a small amount of jam then place the iced biscuit on top.