HOT CROSS MUFFINS (BUFFINS)

Recipe and photo: Dalila De Barros Viljoen
Best of both worlds – buns and muffins = Buffins.

135 g dried cranberries
150 g dried currants (I just used dried cake mix)
375 g self raising flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
165 ml oil
250 ml buttermilk
2 eggs
Crosses:
200 g castor sugar plus extra 2 tablespoons
80 g icing sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 200 ºC and prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners.
Cover dried fruit with enough boiling water to just cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In another bowl mix together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and castor sugar.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Fold in the fruit.
Divide batter between muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and baked through.
Cool on a wire rack.
Crosses:
Mix the 2 tablespoons of extra castor sugar with 2 tablespoons of boiling water until sugar is dissolved. Brush syrup on muffins to get a shiny topping.
Mix icing sugar with lemon juice and add just enough hot water to create a consistency suitable for piping. Pipe or drizzle a cross on muffins and serve.