I like gooseberries. An underrated fruit in my eyes. They’re in season now and are fierce cheap. Usually when I buy gooseberries they sit in my fridge for at least a week till I notice them getting vaguely liquidy and realise they need to be used pretty sharpish. As a result they normally get thrown into a crumble. This time, however, I am well ahead of the game.

I’ve never used gooseberries in a cakey item but thought I’d give it a whirl. The idea of gooseberries and white chocolate seemed good so that is what we have; gooseberry and white chocolate muffin buns. I used the skeleton of a Nigella recipe (original here) but threw in a bit of buttermilk and gooseberries instead of raspberries and finished them of with snot icing (only snottish in appearance, it hopefully tastes much nicer).

This recipe makes ten buns and four carriages of a train. I would have done more bun shaped buns but my ever-helpful son has stolen, and possibly eaten, at least two of my silicon bun cases.

Oven temperature 200 Celsius

Gooseberries          100g

Caster sugar            1 tablespoons

White chocolate     100g

The batter;

Butter                       50g

Plain flour                300g

Baking powder        2 teaspoons

Caster sugar             150g

Full milk                   150ml

Buttermilk                75ml

Egg                             1

Vanilla essence        1 teaspoon

Snot icing;

Gooseberries               7 or so

Icing sugar                  5 tablespoons

White chocolate         70g

Preheat the oven and find some suitable bun cases. The original recipe is for muffins but I posses no muffin tins so buns they became.

Chop the gooseberries into about eighths or which ever little division you want. Pop them into a bowl with the tablespoon of sugar and stir. Leave to one side while you do the rest.

Chop the white chocolate to small chip size.

Melt the butter.

Measure the flour, baking powder and caster sugar into a big mixing bowl.

In a jug or pouring bowl measure out the two milks, pour in the vanilla essence and add in the egg. Use a fork or small whisk to beat it all together.

Assuming the butter is not scalding hot, pour it into the milky egg and whisk again to combine.

Now, add the milk/egg/butter liquid to the flour bowl and stir well. Tip in the sugared gooseberries (and any liquid from that bowl) and the white chocolate chunks. Fold everything together and dollop it out into your prepared bun cases.

 

Slip them into the oven and bake for 20 – 25mins depending on how big your buns are. Harhar. They should have risen well, be pleasantly brown and quite firm to the touch.

Once cooled a little, place them on a cooling wrack to cool down completely.

You can stop here if you like a good plainish bun.

But if you fancy some snot icing, and to be honest who doesn’t, read on.

Chop your seven remaining gooseberries into quarters and pop in a small pan. Add a tablespoon of water and heat till they become squishable. Strain them through a sieve to get a smooth gooseberry puree.

Add in the icing sugar and stir well. Use the back of your spoon to squash any sugar lumps. It will be quite liquidy but fear not. Break the white chocolate into the gooseberry sugar mix and place in the microwave, on high, for about one minute. The chocolate should be good and melty. Beat the mixture together to form a smooth and delicious icing.

Let the icing cool for about 15mins so it firms up a bit. Then spread generous amounts over your buns. Harhar arís.

Now eat them.