Hottest Baker - Scones and Pav

This week's hottest baker brief was to make scones and a pavlova. Not really sure how they plan to pull this off in the two and a half hour time frame, as pavs and meringues need to cool in the oven over night, especially if you're going to put cream on it!

Scone attempt 1.

I made a muffin recipe based on the scone recipe which uses cream and lemonade. Not sure what the judges would have thought about it! I actually made the recipe twice, the second time I reduced the amount of sugar, and added cream cheese and plum jam to the middle before cooking them.

Alison Holst's Cream and Lemonade Muffins (makes 9)

2 c flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 c sugar (I reduced this to 1/4 c)

pinch salt

1/2 c lemonade (I can remember making these scones with Nana Dorothy one time, and her trying to figure out how much half a can was. Like all the other measurements, this refers to

cups!)

1/2 c cream

1 egg

Beat the wet ingredients together, and add to a well in the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. It makes quite a firm mixtue, maybe next time I will try shaping them like a 'proper' scone!

Add a tablespoon of mixture to the bottom of nine muffin tins, pop a teaspoon each of cream cheese and jam on top and cover with a second tablespoon of batter.

Bake at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes, or until brown on top.

Miniature Caramel Pavlova

Based on Bev Gilooly's meringue recipe (this also makes lovely meringues!)

2 egg whites

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 c raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/2 vanilla essence

Beat egg whites until stiff. A good work out if you have an eggbeater like mine. Add the vinegar and vanilla and beat in the sugar one tablespoon at a time, making sure it is dissovled between tablespoons.

Bake on tinfoil for 3/4 hour at 140 degrees C

If you put a little of the mixture under the corners of the tinfoil, it stops it slipping around on the tray!

A little different from the traditional marshmellowy pav, with a chewy caramel centre.

Would I have impressed the judges tonight? Probably not. But I'm happy, and Michael is too!!!

Next week: a slice, rolled biscuits AND piped biscuits! This is getting time consuming, and tricky!

Are you playing along? Leave me a comment so I can add a link to your blog at the bottom of these posts.

::Check out Simone's Pav here! It looks delicious!::