Carrot cake muffins

Carrot cake muffins were moist, sweet, aromatic, packed with nuts, raisins and of course carrots. Topped with mascarpone cheese frosting and decorated with walnut looked looked very elegant. The recipe comes from 'Easy muffins' cookbook.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 280g flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 115g brown sugar
• 200g grated carrot (about 2 medium size carrots)
• 50g chopped walnuts
• 50 raisins
• 2 eggs
• 175ml milk
• 6 tbsp flavourless oil like grape seed oil, sunflower oil
• 1 orange juice (about 50 ml)

Peel of the carrots and grate them. Set aside. Chop the walnuts and set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and salt into a big bowl. Add the sugar and whisk well. Then stir in the carrots well. Gently stir in the walnuts and raisins.

In separate jug whisk the eggs add the milk, oil, orange juice and whisk well. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes. After that time poke the muffins with with toothpick if it comes out clean it means that cake is bake din the middle. Transfer the muffins into wire rack and leave them to cool down.

In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 140g mascarpone cheese
• 35g icing sugar

Put the icing sugar and cheese into a small bowl and whisk the with a fork. Be gentle as sugar may dust all around. Whisk until light and fluffy.

When the muffins are cooled place a spoon of frosting on each muffin top and spread. Decorate with the walnuts. Enjoy !

 

Pumpkin muffins with toffee sauce

Those muffins were loved by children. I was really surprised as for me they were just average. They tasted like pancakes, were soft and very moist a little bit sweet and spicy. But children ate them quite a lot. The recipe comes form 'Easy muffins' cookbook.

Ingredients for 12-16 muffins:

• 280g flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 50g brown sugar
• 65g white sugar
• 1 egg
• 200ml milk
• 6 tbsp flavourless oil (I had grape seed oil)
• 425g pumpkin pure (I added 525g of homemade pumpkin pure)
• few spoons of toffee sauce from a jar 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, salt  into a bog bowl. Add the sugars and whisk well.

In a measuring jug whisk egg, add oil and milk and combine them all. 

Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones, add pumpkin pure and combine all ingredients together. Do not over mix the mixture. 

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier paper cases about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Leave the muffins in a tin for 5 minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool them down. While the muffins are cooling spread toffee sauce over the top of each. Enjoy !

Pumpkin and pecan microwave muffins

If I didn't know I wouldn't guess that those muffins were baked in microwave. Only 4 minutes !(for 900-watt microwave oven). Those muffins were moist, reasonably sweet and crunchy. The recipe comes from 'The Australian Women's Weekly'.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

•  225g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 75g Dark Muscovado sugar
• 80 ml grape seed oil
• 2 eggs
• 200g pumpkin pure
• 60 ml thick cream
• 75g pecans

Place 6 silicone muffin cases on microwave plate.

Chop the pecans into small chunks.

Put the flour, spices and sugar into a big bowl and combine all ingredients together. Add half of chopped pecans, save the rest to sprinkle on the muffins.

To the bowl with dry ingredients add the oil, whisked eggs, pumpkin pure and cream and combine. 

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cases, abut 3/4 full. Sprinkle with pecans. 

Cook one 6 muffins batch at the time, uncovered, on Medium - High (70%) about 4 minutes or until just cooked. Stand 1 minute before turning muffins onto wire rack. 

Repeat with remaining batter.

Yogurt muffins with Californian prunes and walnuts

Tasty, chewy, filled with prune and walnut chunks muffins that is the best description of the muffins I baked lately. The recipe comes from 'New Italian Cuisine. Muffins'.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 150g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
•  1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 125g natural yogurt
• 50g dark Muscovado sugar
• 45 ml grape seed oil
• 60g walnuts
• 150g pitted prunes

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Chop the walnuts and set aside. Chop the prunes into smaller chunks and set aside.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt. Set aside.

Into a separate bowl break the egg, add the yogurt, sugar and oil. With an electric mixer beat all ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Then add the dry ingredients mixture, chopped  walnuts and prunes and combine them together with a spoon. Do not over mix the batter.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, bake for 30 minutes. When ready transfer to the wire rack and cool them down. Enjoy !

Cashew nuts and pear muffins

Cashew nuts and pear muffins are very moist, not too sweet they taste a little bit like pancakes. Although they like pancakes they are more adults treat than children one. The recipe comes form 'New Italian cuisine. Muffins'.

Ingredients for 12-18 muffins*:

• 4 pears
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 150g flour
• 100g wholewheat flour
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 100g cashew nuts
• 2 eggs
• 100g sugar
• 90ml oil
• 250ml milk
• icing sugar for dusting

* I baked 6 in standard size muffin cases and 6 in large ones (on the picture)

Peel and core the pears. Then slice them on small chunks. Place the pears into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.

Chop the cashew nuts.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases or grease them.

Place the flours in a bowl stir in the baking powder, salt and nuts.

In separate bowl, using electric mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil and milk until sugar dissolves. Then add all dry ingredients and using spoon combine them with wet ones. At last, but not at least, fold in the pears with juice. 

Spoon the batter into muffin cases. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven, leave in the baking tin for a few minutes and transfer to the wire rack. 

Dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

Sugar-top apple and raisins muffins

Those filled with apples, raisins and spices muffins are extremely good. They have a lovely crunchy and sweet top, inside they are moist and aromatic. For me they are the perfect muffins. They do not look spectacular but their taste is divine. Good with freshly brewed tea :) The recipe come from 'Muffin sampler' by  Jan Siegris.

Ingredients for 12-14 muffins:

• 100g raisins
• 125ml water
• 180g flour
• 150g wholewheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 130g sugar
• 60ml grape seed oil
• 160g applesauce
• 160g baked apples
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put the raisins into a small bowl pour over the water. Soak the raisins in the water for at least 15 minutes. 

Preheat the oven  180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In  a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder, soda and freshly grated nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the egg and sugar until fluffy.  Stir in the oil, applesauce and baked apples. Add this mixture into the dry ingredients mixture until just moist. At last gently fold in the raisins with their water. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 2/3 full. 

In a small bowl combine remaining sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter in each cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave in the baking tin for a few minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool. Enjoy !