Apple Cinnamon Buns

Hi again, got up this morning and felt like I was in the mood for some cinnamon, so decided to make some apple and cinnamon buns, telling myself that it was a perfectly fine breakfast food, considering it included a fruit. Here are the photos and recipe below:

I based the recipe off Delia Smith's victoria sponge, a good base for all cakes, and then I added my own twist.

Ingredients:
220g self raising flour
110g caster sugar
110g soft brown sugar
220g melted butter
4 eggs
Pinch of cinnamon
4 peeled, chopped apples
200g icing sugar (an estimation) mixed with water
1 thinly sliced apple

Firstly, I put the melted butter and sugars into a bowl and whisked them until they looked light and sandy in colour. Then I added the eggs at once, and stirred it slowly at first, and then mixed faster. This made the base of my mix. To give it some substance, I then added the flour, cinnamon, and chopped apples. Mixture complete! 

I then got an ice cream scoop, to make the measurements equal, and put some mixture into each hole of the bun tray I had greased. Then they went into the (fan-assisted) oven at 170C for around 30 minutes, until they were golden brown and came away from the sides. 

I took them out of the oven, propped them on hob, and left them to cool. Meanwhile, while the buns were cooling, I made up my icing. For this, I placed icing sugar and water into a bowl, and mixed until thick and glossy. Don't worry if you put too much water in and it becomes loose; just add some more icing sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

I then set this aside and ran a knife around the outside of the buns to release them from the tray. I then placed them on a cooling rack to cool completely. 

I then dried the apple that goes on top; all I did was get an apple, and slice it thinly on a mandolin slicer. If you don't have one of these, just get a sharp knife and, without cutting yourself, thinly slice the apple to roughly 5mm. I then put them on a baking tray on top of greaseproof paper, and put them in the oven at 150C for 10 roughly 10 minutes. If you want, I sprinkled a bit of caster sugar on top of each slice, as my apples were a little bit bitter!

While they were drying in the oven, I iced the buns and let them dry for a few minutes before putting them on a plate. I didn't really like the way they looked, but the apple slice on top made the difference! I took the apple out of the oven once it was dried, and immediately put them on top of the royal icing, because if they're warm, they're easier to manipulate them into the desired shape. 

And that's it! Hope you enjoy :)

Ciara