Baker Gatherer

Hamiltonian Dane McGregor, otherwise known as the Baker Gatherer, started his baking journey with a love of food, childhood nostalgia, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment and create. Constantly learning and trialling new recipes and techniques, Dane has kindly shared some of his successes with UNO.

Beer and Pretzel Cupcake

A beer and chocolate-flavoured cupcake, topped with cream cheese buttercream and pretzels.

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes 12

Cupcake

130ml beer

120g butter

40g cocoa powder

200g caster sugar

1 large egg

70g sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract
120g plain flour
1¼ tsp baking soda

For the Top

80g butter, room temperature

150g cream cheese, room temperature

420g icing sugar

1 tbsp milk

Pretzels

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C bake and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake cases. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, add in the beer and first measure of butter. Stir on a low heat until melted and combined. Do not boil.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, then whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar until dissolved. Allow to cool slightly.

Using a freestanding mixer or handheld beater, beat together the egg, sour cream and vanilla in a separate bowl until combined.

Slowly pour the beer and butter mixture in with the egg mixture, while still beating on a low speed. When combined, add in the flour and baking soda and continue to beat until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a small jug and pour into prepared cupcake cases, filling to about ⅔ full.

Bake for around 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and cupcakes spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the buttercream, add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a freestanding mixer or using a handheld beater, and beat for about 2-3 minutes until well combined.

Add the icing sugar in two stages, beating for another 3 minutes between each addition. If the buttercream is still quite firm, beat in small amounts of milk until desired consistency is reached.

Pipe blobs of buttercream on top of cooled cupcakes and decorate with pretzels. You can either roll the top of the cupcake in a saucer of broken pretzel pieces or spend some time arranging pretzels on top by hand. Enjoy!

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Banana, Peanut Butter and Bacon Cupcake

A soft banana cupcake, topped with peanut butter buttercream and crispy bacon.

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes 12

Cupcake

100g caster sugar

20g brown sugar

140g self-raising flour

½ tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

125g butter, softened

½ ripe banana (approx 70g)

1 tbsp milk

For the top

4-5 slices of streaky bacon
150g butter, softened
60g smooth peanut butter
270g icing sugar
1 tbsp milk

Peanut crumb

30g smooth peanut butter

30g icing sugar

METHOD

To start, flick oven on to 180°C bake and fill cupcake tray with cases. Set aside.

For the cupcakes, whisk together the sugars in a freestanding mixer.

Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and then add the eggs, butter and mashed banana. Beat for about 60 seconds.

Lower the speed and slowly add the milk before turning mixer back up for about another 30 seconds.

Fill paper cases about ⅔ full and bake for 16-20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched. Allow to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, flick oven on to grill and grill slices of bacon on a sheet of greaseproof paper until cooked and crispy (or follow directions on pack). Allow to cool while you make the buttercream.

For the buttercream, beat butter and peanut butter in freestanding mixer
for 5 minutes, scraping sides down occasionally.

Sift icing sugar and add to the butter mixture in two stages, beating for another 3 minutes between additions.

On a slower speed, add the milk, then turn mixer speed back up and beat for another few minutes.

To make the peanut crumb, mix peanut butter and icing sugar together until it forms an even crumb and set aside.

Once the cupcakes and bacon are cool, pipe a blob of buttercream, cram full of crispy bacon, and sprinkle with the peanut crumb. This will have you all shook up!

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Sconut

A fusion of a scone and donut, covered in cinnamon sugar and filled with jam and cream.

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Makes 16-20

Sconut

510g plain flour

5 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

60g butter

¾ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar

80g butter, melted

200g sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Filling

4 tsp water (optional)

1 tsp gelatin (optional)

200ml cream

80g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry jam

METHOD

To start, flick oven on to 180°C bake and line an oven tray with baking paper.

Using a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Add the butter and rub in to dry ingredients until it resembles a fine crumb.

Finally, pour in milk and vanilla, and mix through with a knife until dough comes together (add a little more milk or flour to get the right consistency).

Turn dough out onto a floured bench and knead for about a minute before rolling dough out to approximately 1cm thickness.

Using a circular cookie cutter or upside- down drinking glass, cut out circles of dough and arrange them on a prepared baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until risen and cooked through.

While baking, start prepping the cinnamon sugar. Melt butter in a bowl and set-aside. Also mix together the sugar and cinnamon in another
bowl too.

When the scones come out of the oven, immediately coat them in melted butter and cover with cinnamon sugar one at a time. Set aside to cool completely.

Once cooled, it’s time to fill with whipped cream. I like to use gelatin to stabilise the whipped cream, which then holds nicely inside the sconuts.

To start, add the water to a ramekin, then sprinkle over gelatin. Allow to sit for roughly 5 minutes.

Either using a freestanding mixer or a handheld beater, beat the cream,
icing sugar and vanilla for a minute to combine.

When the gelatin is set, place in the microwave for 10 seconds to melt back into a liquid before pouring into the cream mixture while beating on a high speed. Continue to beat until whipped.

To assemble your sconuts, slice in half, pipe with whipped cream and add a dollop of strawberry jam. Perfect to enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

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Spiced Rose Shortbread 

A smooth and warmly spiced shortbread, topped with sweet and fluffy rose-flavoured marshmallow.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Chill time: 30 minutes

Makes 12

Shortbread

180g butter, room temperature

70g icing sugar

225g plain flour

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Marshmallow

60ml boiling water

1 tsp gelatin

100g caster sugar

1 tsp rose water

Pink food colouring

Dried rose petals (optional)

METHOD

Using a handheld beater, cream together the butter and icing sugar
until pale and fluffy. Add flour, spices and salt and mix through until a firm dough is formed.

Roll out dough until 1.5cm thick and slice into rectangles. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C fan bake. 

When dough has chilled, bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

For the marshmallow, add boiling water and gelatin to a large bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add sugar, rose water and colouring, and beat with a handheld beater on high for 10 minutes until thick, fluffy and sugar has dissolved.

Pipe on top of cooled shortbread and sprinkle with dried rose petals.