Gingerbread muffins with rum soaked prunes and chocolate icing

Very spicy a little bit dry cake with rum soaked prunes and chocolate on top. Have to say they were very tasty. Slightly different then traditional moist muffins  but good. The recipe comes form here.

Ingredients for 5 big muffins:

• 70g honey
• 40g butter
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 tsp soda
• 200g flour
• 60ml milk
• 100g prunes
• rum

Put the prunes into a small bowl pour over the rum to cover all prunes a leave them for a few hours to soak.

Pour the honey, butter and spices into a sauce pan and heat up until the butter melts down. Stir well and set aside to cool down.

Drain and chop the prunes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the egg and sugar into an electric mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the baking soda into a sauce pan with honey and spices mixture. Stir in well. Pour this mixture into egg mixture. Mix gently. Gently fold in half of the flour, when combined add the milk and remaining  flour. At last but not at least gently fold in the prunes.

 

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. When removed form the oven transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

Chocolate icing:

• 50g chocolate
• 1 tbsp butter
• sugar sprinkles (optional)

Melt the butter and chocolate in microwave or in a pan over a steaming water. When smooth spoon over each muffin top. Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles. Enjoy !

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 !