Ginger muffins with plums whole spelt flour and oats

This is very aromatic autumn recipe. The cake is spicy, moist and deliciously sweet wit sour bits of plums. The recipe comes from BBC GoodFood wall calendar. 

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 140g butter or margarine
• 100g brown sugar
• 100g golden syrup or honey
• 6 plums (about 250g)
• 140g whole spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp crystallised ginger
• 85g oats
• 2 eggs

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

Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a sauce pan and heat it up until all ingredients melt together.

In a meantime chop the crystallised ginger and set aside.

Cut the plums into quarters. Set aside. 

When all ingredients are melted add the flour, baking powder, salt,, ginger, chopped ginger, oats and eggs. Stir all ingredients together until well combined. Spoon the batter into paper cases up to 3/4 full. Set aside about 2 tablespoons of batter.

On top of each muffin place chunks if plums.

Ingredients for the crumble:

• 25g flour
• 25g oats
• 2 tsp chopped ginger

 The flour, oats and ginger place in a small bowl add the remaining batter and stir well. Sprinkle over each muffin top. Mine crumble was too dry :(

 Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Recipe n Polish

 

German chocolate cupcakes

This is Ina Garten's recipe for German chocolate cupcakes . As usually cupcakes were divine. Spongy, chocolate cake with lovely rich custard frosting packed with coconut, almonds and pecans. I truly recommend it to everybody.

Ingredients for 24 cupcakes:

• 170g butter
• 150g sugar
• 120g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 125 ml sour cream
• 2 tbsp freshly brewed coffee
• 295g flour
• 41g coca powder (should be twice that much but I haven't got more in the cupboard)
• 1 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

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

Place the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt in a bowl and whisk them together.  In a separate bowl whisk the buttermilk, sour cream and coffee.

Butter, sugar and brown sugar beat in an electric mixer until fluffy for about 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time. When egg are well incorporated add the vanilla extract. Then beating continuously add alternately the flour and buttermilk mixture in three additions. 

Spoon the batter into prepared paper cases, 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Transfer baked cupcakes into a wire rack to cool down. In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Frosting ingredients:

• 170g butter
• 410g evaporated milk
• 230 g brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 135g dessicated coconut
• 100g almond flakes
• 50g chopped pecans
• 1/4 tsp salt

 Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the milk, brown sugar and egg yolks. Heat this mixture up stirring continuously. Cook for 15 minutes until thickens. Set aside from the heat and add the vanilla extract and almond essence. Then stir in the coconut, almond, pecans and salt. Set aside for an hour to cool the mixture down.

Spread the mixture over each cupcake top.

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

 

Poppyseed cupcakes

This recipe comes form addio pomidory blog. It's interesting by its simplicity. Only few ingredients make very tasty delicious dessert. 

Ingredients for 6 cupcakes:

• 380g tinned poppy seed cake filling
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 4 tbsp bread crumbs 

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line muffin tin with paper cases. 

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Then gently fold in the poppy seed cake filling and breadcrumbs. Spoon the batter into paper cases filling them up to the top. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

When ready remove from the oven and set aside to cool down. 

Prepare the icing.

Ingredients for icing:

• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tbsp water

Mix the sugar and water until resembles thick mixture.

Drizzle cupcakes tops with icing and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Apple muffins with Karmi beer

Karmi beer is an non alcoholic caramel beer, dark sweet rich in flavour. This time instead of drinking it I used it to bake muffins.  Have to say it was good experiment. Moist, dark, sweet muffins wit chunks of apples had an interesting taste.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 3 medium size apples
• 20g butter
• 1 stick or 1 tsp cinnamon
•  3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp oats
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of wholegrain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2  tsp soda
• 2 eggs
• 10 ml canola oil
• 400 ml Karmi beer

Slice the apples. Heat up the frying pan. Add the butter, sugar, cinnamon. Then add the apples and stir from time to time. When apples soften add the oats. Set aside to pan and let the ingredients to cool down.

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

In one bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda. In separate bowl whisk the eggs with oil. Pour the wet ingredients into a dry ones add the Karmi beer and stir until just combined. The fold in the cooked apples (remove cinnamon stick).

Spoon the batter into paper cases, sprinkle with sugar and oats. 

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

 Enjoy!

Recipe in Polish

  

Kasztanki muffins

Kasztanki are my favourite sweets. Crunchy, cocoa filling covered in thick layer of rich, dark chocolate. This time I have decided to bake them in muffins. The recipe comes form here. The result ? I think they were ok but I wouldn't say were extremely delicious. After the author of these recipe i have decided not to add sugar into the dough but now I think I should. Anyway they were eaten and nobody complained :)

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 1 and 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 10 Kasztanki
• 100g butter
• 50g chocolate (I used milk one)
• 125 ml yogurt
• 2 eggs

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

Place the chocolate and butter into a sauce pan and heat up until both ingredients melt down. Set aside to cool down. 

Chop the Kasztanki into small chunks. In a big bowl mix the flour, soda, baking powder you may add few tablespoons of sugar. Stir in the Kasztanki chunks. 

Add yogurt into melted chocolate and stir well. Then add the eggs. When all wet ingredients are well combined pour the mixture into dry ingredients. Mix everything until just combined. The batter is very thick.

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier paper cases about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until well risen and golden. 

Recipe in Polish

 Enjoy !

    

Date and pecan tartlets filled with chocolate cream, gluten - free

Easy to make, gluten free, perfect dessert for hot summer days. There is no need to bake. Mixed dates and pecans are very sticky and it's easy to make tartlets of this mixture. Although a few minutes of chilling is recommended. To make delicious, rich, chocolate cream melted chocolate and Mascarpone cream is enough. We loved them.

 Ingredients for 4 tartlets:

• 200g dates
• 70g pecans

 Put the dates and pecans into blender and mix them until finely blended. The mixture should resemble bread crumbs but when pressed small bits should stick to each other. 

Divide the mixture among four tartlets' tins. Press the bits with your fingers or back of the spoon  to the bottom and sides of the tins. Insert to the fridge to chill for a few minutes.

In a meantime prepare the filling.

Ingredients for chocolate cream:

• about 120g dark chocolate
• about 150g Mascarpone cream
• 4 pecan halves for decoration
• chopped pecans for decoration

 Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl placed over a pot with simmering water. Set the melted chocolate aside for a few minutes to cool down. Then add Mascarpone cheese. Using and electric mixer whisk until smooth. 

Remove the tartlets from the fridge. Divide the cream among all of them. Smooth the cream on the top. Place one pecan halve in the middle of each tartlets and sprinkle the edges with chopped pecans.

Put them back to the fridge and chill them for a few minutes.

Then gently remove from the tins and enjoy ! 

Recipe in Polish

Coconut mini muffins gluten free

 

Gluten free coconut mini muffins are very easy to make. They contain three ingredients only.  They are very sweet, chewy, packed with fibre and their smell is just beautiful. This is perfect recipe when you have just one egg white hidden in the fridge. 

Ingredients for 8 mini  muffins:

• 1 egg white
• 50g sugar
• 100g dessicated coconut

Preheat the oven to 200C. Slightly grease the muffin tin cups

Using electric mixer whisk the egg white until stiff. Add the sugar and whisk again until shiny. The gently fold in the coconut. 

Spoon the mixture into muffin tin cups filing each cup up to the top. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until golden.

When baked leave them in muffin tin for a few minutes then transfer to the plate. 

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Cupcake birthday cake

It was close to my youngest 4th birthday when I realised I have no idea what cake to bake. Asking the birthday girl was pointless as her imagination is greater then my decoration skills. I was looking for something tasty, easy to make and easy to serve. Attending to different parties I have seen too often beautiful birthday cakes not eaten, parents struggling to cut the cake... ah not this year. This year I have decided to bake my children's favourite chocolate cupcakes, arrange them into a cake and decorate them with frosting. When I asked my little one about sun cake she was delighted. I am aware of the fact that this cake doesn't look professional but it was home baked, tasty, took seconds to serve and what is more important most of it was eaten.

     

Ingredients for 20 cup cakes:

• 250g margarine for baking
• 4 tbsp milk
• 4 tbsp baking cocoa
• 1 1/2 mug* of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 mug* of flour
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 16 g vanilla sugar

 *take regular coffee mug

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

In a sauce pan put the margarine, milk, sugar, cocoa powder and bring it to boil stirring all the time. When it is boiled let the mixture to cool down. After some time, when the mixture is room temperature, add the flour, baking powder, vanilla sugar and egg yolks. Give it a good stir. In separate bowl whisk egg whites until stiff (add pinch of salt). Gently fold the egg white foam into the batter. Spoon the batter in paper cases 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 min. Check with toothpick if baked in the middle.  

Transfer baked cupcakes to the wire rack to cool them down completely. While cooling down prepare the frosting.

 Frosting:

• 300g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 250g soft butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• food colourings

 Put the soft butter into an electric mixer bowl and whisk until smooth. While whisking add icing sugar. When the sugar is well incorporated start adding cream cheese. When all cream cheese is added increase the speed and whisk until smooth and fluffy.

Divide the frosting among bowls and stir in the food colourings to get desire colours. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Arrange the cooled cupcakes on a tray. Transfer the frosting into piping bags. Use the yellow frosting to create the Sun, fill the gaps with blue frosting and with black and red create the face. 

 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Mini cheesecakes with fruit jelly

Today's recipe : cheesecake topped with some fruits and jelly. Sound yummy ? I promise it was yummy. It is not difficult to prepare this dessert but it's a bit time consuming.  Anyway it's worth it !

Ingredients for 7 XL size cheesecakes:

cheesecake layer:

• 450g cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 110g sugar

bottom layer:

• 200g digestives biscuits
• 95g butter

 jelly:

• 1 packet of jelly
• tinned fruits

 Put the cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

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

Melt the butter and set aside to cool it down. Place the biscuits in a bag and smash them with rolling pin until reassemble fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter.  

Spoon this mixture on the bottom of beach paper case, so the bottom is evenly covered. Press the crumbs to the bottom with back of the spoon. 

Then spoon thick layer of cream cheese mixture on top. 

Place the muffin tin in preheated oven for  20 minutes. When ready remove form the oven and set aside to cool down. You may remove each cheesecake form muffin tin as this will speed up the cooling down process.

In a meantime prepare the jelly. Dissolve packed of jelly in a hot water. To speed up the setting process reduce  recommended amount of water by 100ml. Set aside to cool down.

When cheesecakes are cooled down put them back into muffin tin. Place some fruits on top of each cheesecake, then pour in the jelly. Put the tin to the fridge and keep the cheesecakes there until the jelly sets.

You may serve them with whipping cream.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Nuttella stuffed cinnamon muffins

Moist, fluffy cake with crunchy cinnamon sugar coating filled with nutella just yum :). They were perfect, especially for the day when too much sugar is not enough sugar. We really enjoyed them. The recipe comes form this web site.

Ingredients for 8 muffins:

• 75g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 120 ml milk
• 190g flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 tsp nutella

Grease or line with paper cases the muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 220C.

Into a big bowl put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and mix them well. 

In separate jug mix the egg, milk and vanilla.

Using hand or free standing mixer beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix them in. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the mixture.

 Spoon the batter into paper cases, 1 table spoon each. Then add 1 teaspoon of nutella and cover with batter. You may fill the muffin holes up to the top they won't overflow.

Insert into an oven. Bake in 220C for first 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 175C and bake for another 15 minutes. When baked transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

While the muffins are cooling down prepare the cinnamon sugar topping.

Cinnamon sugar topping:

• 50g sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 45g butter

Melt the butter and set aside. In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Take one muffin and dip it in melted butter then dip it again in cinnamon - sugar. Press a bit so all top would be evenly coated with sugar. Repeat with remaining muffins. 

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Bran, rhubarb barley flakes and yogurt muffins

Very tasty, packed with fibre, rhubarb muffins with barley flakes crumble. We liked them a lot. I think they are perfect for lunch box. Freshly baked were light and fluffy the next day were bit moist and dense but still very good. And the lovely, crunchy, buttery crumble.. yummy.

Ingredients for  5 big muffins:

• 75g rhubarb
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 40g oat bran
• 3 tbsp barley flakes
• 150g flour
• 3 tbsp palm sugar (you can use demerara instead)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 150g natural yogurt
• 1 egg
• 100 ml milk

Cut the rhubarb into small chunks place in a sauce pan add sugar and cook until  release juices. Set aside to cool down.

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

Put the bran, barley flour, sugar baking powder in a big bowl and mix them together.

In separate jug mix the yogurt, milk and egg. 

Add the rhubarb into a dry ingredients bowl and stir. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix them until all ingredients are just combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Then chop additional piece of rhubarb into small chunks and sprinkle on top of each muffin. 

Crumble:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp barley flakes
• 30g butter
• 2 tbsp flour

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix them with your fingers until start forming chunks. Sprinkle those chunks on top of each muffin.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish