Custard filled white chocolate muffins

Since I have received those beautiful sugar butterflies I was wondering what kind of muffins they may go with. I was thinking about vanilla cupcakes with butter cream frosting but I have already bake something similar and I do not like to repeat recipes. So when I came across this recipe I though it is perfect. Those muffins are spongy, well risen, sweet with drop of custard and white chocolate in the middle coated with white chocolate ganache. They were very tasty !

Ingredients for custard filling:

• 1 batch of vanilla custard powder
• 350 ml milk
• white chocolate chips

To make those muffins start with making vanilla custard as it has to have a time to cool down and thickened. Pour about 300 ml of milk into sauce pan and heat it up. In a jug stir the powder into remaining milk. When custard is dissolved, pour this mixture into warm milk.Cook it stirring constantly. When starts boiling, pour the hot custard into a bowl. Cover with cling film, so the cling film will touch the custard. It protects the custard against creating thick layer on the top. Set aside to cool down.

 

 

Ingredients for 12-15 muffins:

• 340g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 150 g melted butter
• 160g sugar
• 150 ml milk
• 2 eggs

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

 

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

 

Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt into big bowl and whisk them together. 

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with sugar, add the milk and cooled down butter. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Combine all ingredients together. Do not over stir the mixture. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Put one spoon of the batter then one teaspoon of cooled down custard and few white chocolate chips and cover with another layer of batter. Do not overload the paper cases, try to put no more then 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 minutes. until well risen. Place on wire rack to cool down.

 

In a meantime prepare white chocolate ganache to coat the muffins.

Ingredients for white chocolate ganache:

• 50 ml milk
• 50 ml cream
• 100g white chocolate
• some sugar sprinkles for decoration

Pour the milk and cream into sauce pan and heat them up stirring continuously. Gradually add the chocolate. Cook until get creamy, thick sauce. set aside and let it cool for a moment, stirring from time to time. When slightly cooled and thickened pour over each muffin. Sprinkle wit sugar sprinkles if desired. Enjoy !
 

  

 

Chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter icing

These cupcakes were baked especially for my husband's birthday as he loves peanut butter. Chocolate cupcakes were an obvious choice, who doesn't like chocolate ? The peanut butter icing was chosen especially for him. Cupcakes were really nice, sweet chocolaty with salty topping mmmm.... Although, I would say this combination is rather for adults, as my children ate only the cupcakes leaving the icing for us. This is another Ina's Garten recipe. 

Ingredients for 12-15 cupcakes:

• 170g soft, at room temperature butter  
• 250g sugar
• 80g brown sugar
• 2 at room temperature eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 ml buttermilk, at room temperature
• 125 ml sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp brewed coffee
• 230g flour
• 105g cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Few hour before  baking take out the butter, buttermilk, sour cream and eggs from the fridge to warm them up.

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

In the bowl of and electric mixer cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Reduce the speed and add the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract.
In separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, coffee. In another bowl whisk together the flour, soda, salt and cocoa powder.
Add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the egg and sugar mixture, beginning with the buttermilk and ending with the flour. Mix only until blended.

Spoon the batter into cupcake cases 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes and transfer to the wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

after baking

In a meantime prepare icing.

Ingredients for icing:

• 140g powder sugar
• 260g peanut butter*
• 110g soft butter
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 75 ml whipping cream

 * I make my own peanut butter just blending in blender roasted and salted peanuts until creamy to spread on a toast.

Place the sugar, butter and peanut butter, vanilla and salt in the electric mixer bowl and whisk on  allow speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with rubber spatula. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Plain wanilla muffins

This is basic muffin recipe. Those muffins are like a buns. Soft, fluffy, sweet very tasty when spread with butter and jam or marmalade.  I think they are good option for breakfast or quick snack during a busy day. The recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients for 8-12 muffins:

• 320g flour
• 110g sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 250 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 55 g melted butter

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

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

Sift the flour, baking powder and soda into a bowl and whisk them together.

In separate bowl with a fork whisk the egg add the sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until fluffy. Pour milk and cooled butter into egg mixture, sift the flour and combine all ingredients together. Do not over stir the mixture.

Spoon the batter into muffin cases 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and golden. Leave them to cool down on the wire rack.

You can eat them with jam. I served mine with home made raspberry cream.

 

Ingredients for raspberry cream:

• 50g soft butter
• 100g icing sugar
• 200g soft cheese like Philadelphia or minced cottage cheese for cheesecakes
• 200g frozen raspberries

Defrost raspberries. Mash them with fork.

In electric mixer bowl whisk the butter and soft cheese until fluffy gently add the sugar. When  ready fold in the raspberries. Enjoy !

Almond muffins with glace cherries

This recipe comes form 'New Italian cuisine. Muffins' cookbook. Almond muffins with glace cherries taste like  heaven. The cake is fluffy, soft with crisp and sweet,  caramelised sugar on top. Those muffins have beautiful almond scent and  crunch, with small bits of glace cherries.

Ingredients for 6-8 muffins:

• 150g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 60g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 1 egg
• 125 ml milk
• 100g glace cherries
• 40g roasted almond flakes
• 25 g sugar to sprinkle on the top 

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

Chop the cherries. Put the almond flakes on pan and roast them for a while. Set aside to cool down.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and whisk them together.

Put the butter, sugar and almond essence into electric mixer bowl and whisk on a medium speed until white. Add the egg, wait until well combined. Reduce the speed to low and add milk and dry ingredients mixture alternately. 

Then gently, with spoon, fold in the almonds and cherries. 

Spoon the batter into muffin cases. Sprinkle each top with some sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool down on wire rack and enjoy !

Mini nutella muffins

This recipe come from Ryan's baking blog. Muffins were delicious ! Soft in the middle with crunchy crust and hazelnuts hmmmm...  Not to mention that they were very easy to make. They contain only 4 ingredients. I think, I will try to make them again with chocolate instead of hazelnuts.

Ingredients for 12-18 mini muffins:

• 90g nutella
• 1 egg
• 5 tbsp flour
• 90g chopped hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare mini muffin baking tin.

Chop the hazelnuts. Put nutella into a small bowl, add egg and flour and whisk them together. At last but not at least add 3/4 of chopped hazelnuts. Spoon the batter into baking tin. Top of each muffin sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes until toothpick stick in the middle comes out clean. Leave in baking tin for a few minutes then transfer to the wire rack to cool down. They are very good warm though so you do not have to wait for them to be cooled down completely. Enjoy !

 

Jelly cupcakes

These are not cupcakes this is rather idea how to serve jelly in a funny way. I think it is a great idea for children birthday parties or another way to serve a child some fruits. Anyway there is no baking skill needed to make them only patience is recommended.

Ingredients for 9 cupcakes:

• 1 packet of raspberry jelly
• hot water
• frozen raspberries*
• silicone muffin cases

* there is no need to use exactly the same fruits or jelly flavour

Prepare the jelly according information on a packet adding slightly less water then recommended.

Place the muffin cases on the tray. Put some fruits into muffin cases. Pour over the jelly up to the top of muffin case. Place the tray in the fridge to speed up whole process.

When the jelly is ready pour some hot water into small bowl. Dip each silicone muffin case for a minute into hot water. Then place jelly on a plate. You may serve them with some fresh fruits or whipped cream or both :)

Orange muffins with cream cheese topping

This is Helga Lederer orange muffin recipe which I read on  this blog. Those muffins are extremely orangy, they not only smell like one but taste as well. They are very moisture and quite thick. I decided to add cream cheese topping to make them a little bit sweater and lighter in flavour. 

Ingredients for 12 18 muffins:

• 260g flour
• 10g baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 medium oranges
• 250 ml orange juice
• 140g dark muscovado sugar
• 1 egg
• 125g butter
• 40 ml alcohol

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

 

Grate the orange zest, only orange part and set aside.

Peel of the orange skin, remove the white part as much as possible, put the orange bits into blender and pure the orange. Set aside.

In a big bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. 

In an electric mixer bowl place egg and sugar and whisk until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the butter. Gently fold in the orange zest, orange pure, orange juice, alcohol, and the flour mixture. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, as much as possible. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden. When removed form oven keep them for a few minutes in the baking tin, then transfer to the wire rack.

Cream cheese topping:

• 90g soft butter
• 120g icing sugar
• 100g soft cheese Philadelphia

Into an electric mixer bowl put the batter and whisk until pale, then add sugar and Philadelphia. Whisk together until fluffy. Whit spoon or knife spread over each muffin top. Remember muffins have to be cooled down completely before adding cream cheese topping.  

Sweet potato and raisin muffins

This recipe comes form Carol Pastor cookbook '75 best - ever muffins'. I baked them as I was really curious about their taste. Potato in a muffin ?  Hmmm... But they were tasty, not extremely delicious but just ok. Day after their taste reminded me about doughnuts. For those who want to try recipe and method below:

Ingredients for 12-18 muffins:

• 225g sweet potato
• 350g flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 225g margarine melted
• 250 ml milk
• 50g raisins
• 50g caster sugar
• icing sugar for dusting

Peel off the potato skin dice the potato into smaller pieces and cook in the boiling water until very tender then mash and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the margarine stir in the milk and set aside.

When the potato mashed is slightly cooler add the flour, baking powder and combine together. Pour into this mixture milk and margarine and add whisked egg. Whisk everything together just to combine all ingredients. At last but not at least gently fold in the raisins and sugar.

Spoon the batter into paper cases up to the top. Bake for 25 minutes until well risen and brown on the top. After baking leave to cool in baking tin then transfer to the wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy !