Cinnamon buns - no more, no less.

There's this cafe in Skerries which answers to the name of 'Olive'.  I love it for many reasons including the one that is my ma was also called Olive (Ollie to her pals and my mates).  They had a chef who used to make these, slobber, cinnamon buns.  They were like a Chelsea bun insofar as they were rolled up.  I don't know how he did it but I do know he no longer works there.  So no more buns.  Sigh.  But now!!!!  Now I have found a recipe.  It's not exactly the same but they are delicious.  They are even more delicious if you actually roll the cooked buns in butter.  Yeah, you heard me right.  ROLL them in BUTTER.  Then you roll them in cinnamon-y sugar.  Mmmmmm.  I just dip the top of the buns into the melted butter and then dip them into the spice sugar mixture.  They still taste fabulous but not as fabulous as if you had dunked the entire cake into butter and then into sugar.  I'm rereading what I'm typing here and I sound like a woman possessed.  Also, I'm drifting over to the dark side - I've used cup measures.  Have used a conversion site to get a metric measure for those of us who don't own cups BUT I haven't checked to see if it works so take care.  If there is one piece of kit I love it's my  spoon measures so defo get some of those.

You'll need:

1 and 1/2 cups plain flour (170g)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg ( it takes forever to grate the fresh ones so I used ground nutmeg out of a tub).

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp (85g)

1/2 cup of caster sugar (115g)

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup of milk (118ml)

2 x 12 hole mini muffin tins

For the spicy sugar coating you'll need:

3 tbsp butter (42g)

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tsp cinnamon.

Then you:

Preheat the oven to 350f/175c

Line your tins with mini paper cases/liners (Damn you Mo)

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter for a minute then add the sugar and beat until thoroughly mixed and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the egg and vanilla - mixing until smooth and thick.  (Yup girls, that's not how I did it earlier).

With the mixer on a low speed (I always stop it as it's too messy trying to do it when it's running) add the flour, milk/vanilla extract combo, mix it, then repeat.  Three times if necessary.  Either way, begin and end with flour.  Mix just until the flour is fully incorporated and the mix looks smooth.

Using two teaspoons, one to pick up the batter and the other to scrape it off, dollop teaspoonfuls into each paper case until the case is two thirds full.

Place into your oven and cook for approx. 12 minutes (it took 20 for mine), until the tops are firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool in tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Now for the best bit:

Melt the butter for the topping in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl mix the sugar and the cinnamon.  One  at a time dip the top of each cupcake into the butter and then into the sugar mixture.  If you're being really decadent double up the above mixture and strip your little cakes of their paper wrappers and roll them in the butter and then roll them in the sugar mixture.   Now, the hard part, set them back on your wire rack.  Give them 20 minutes or so to absorb the butter and ENJOY!!!!!