CHRISTMAS CINNAMON BUNS
Bake these buns in the shape of a wreath, garnish them in Christmassy colours and they’re pretty enough to be part of the table decorations. MAKES 24-26 BUNS PREPARATION: 20 MIN COOKING: 15-20 MIN DOUGH 400g cake flour 80g cocoa powder 125ml (½c) castor sugar 2,5ml (½t) salt 20ml (4t) baking powder 250ml (1c) milk 65g butter, melted 1 large egg, whisked 5ml (1t) vanilla essence FILLING 250ml (1c) soft brown sugar 60ml (4T) ground cinnamon 100g dried cranberries 100g flaked almonds 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 65g butter TOPPING 250ml (1c) icing sugar, sifted 1 tub (230g) cream cheese 5-10ml (1-2t) lemon juice fresh cherries and mint Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and line with baking paper. 1 Dough Sift the dry ingredients together, add the rest of the ingredients and mix to form a dough. Roll out into a 5mm-thick rectangle. 2 Filling Mix all the ingredients and sprinkle over the dough. 3 Beginning at one long edge, roll up the dough tightly. Trim the ends with a sharp knife, then cut the roll into 3cm-wide slices. Arrange 13-14 slices with the cut side up in a large circle. Tightly pack the remaining slices on the inside of the circle. 4 Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
completely on a rack. 5 Topping Mix the icing sugar, cream cheese and lemon juice until you have a thick but still pourable mixture. Pour some of the icing over the buns. Sprinkle the cherries and mint on top and serve the remaining icing mixture on the side.