Malted chocolate cupcakes

Lovely, chocolaty with a hint of malt cupcakes. Truly recommend them.The recipe comes from "Cake days. Recipes to make everyday special. The hummingbird bakery".

Ingredients for 12 - 16 cupcakes:

• 150ml oil
• 75 ml milk
• 75 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 240g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 330g caster sugar
• 150 ml boiling water

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases. 

Pour the oil, milk, buttermilk, egg and vanilla into an electric mixer bowl and mix until just combine.

In separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Sift about 1/3 of this mixture into a wet ingredients and whisk them. Then add 1/3 of boiling water and mix again. repeat until use all ingredients.

Spoon the batter into paper cases. Bake in preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes. When ready set aside to cool down. Prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 240 ml double cream
• 115g malted - milk powder
• 50g soft cheese like Philadelphia
• 35g caste sugar
• Malteasers to decorate

 

 Melt the chocolate ether over the boiling water pot or in microwave. Set aside.

Pour the double cream into an electric mixer bowl add the malted - milk powder and whisk until stiffens. In separate bowl whisk the cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add melted chocolate and mix. Then add whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Frosting is very rich and creamy. Spread the frosting over each cupcake and decorate with Malteasers.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Jam doughnut muffins

Easy to make recipe for vanilla muffins filled with jam. They are delicious and taste like doughnuts. The recipe comes form here.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 300g self - rising flour
• 160g sugar
• 80 ml oil
• 1 egg
• 175 ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• jam

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

In a big bowl mix the flour and sugar. In separate bowl mix the oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients mixture into a dry ones. Mix until just combined. 

Spoon about one table spoon of batter into prepared earlier muffin case, then add about 1 tea spoon of jam, cover with batter. Repeat until use all batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Baked muffins place on wire rack to cool down. In a meantime prepare frosting.

Frosting:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp milk

Mix until turn into thick paste. Pour over each muffin.

 Enjoy !

Polish translation

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

  

Too - easy blueberry muffins

I was craving for some fruit muffins and didn't want to whisk, beat, blend or anything like that. Just mix some ingredients together, preferably in one bowl with wooden spoon to save up on washing dishes. Then I came across Donna Hay recipe . That was it ! I wanted to bake them in beautiful blue XL size muffin cases and... the recipe failed. I don't really know what happened  but my muffins had lovely crunchy crust, big hole in the middle and soggy, wet bottom :( I didn't stop us from eating the edible parts but it wasn't really what I was looking for.

Because I don't give up so easily I tried again. This time had chosen regular size muffin cases and it worked. Muffins were really delicious, moist, packed with bursting in flavor blueberries with crunch crust. I think they are my favorite blueberry muffins for now. 

  Ingredients for 20 muffins: 

• 400g* self- rising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200g* caster sugar
• 125 ml oil
• 1 egg
• 125 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g frozen or fresh blueberries ( I used frozen)
• granulated sugar for sprinkle

* when the original recipe is in cups I always weigh the ingredients and that is the result

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

Sift the flour and baking powder into a big bowl, add the caster sugar and mix all ingredients. Make a well in the middle and pour in the oil, milk, vanilla and break the egg. Stir all wet ingredients together, when well mixed stir all the ingredients. Mix them until just combined. The batter is very thick. Then fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into paper cases up to top, sprinkle with granulated sugar. bake in preheated oven 30 -  35 minutes.

When ready transfer to the wire rack to let them cool down and enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Date and bran muffins

Moist, dense, packed with fibre, sweet muffins. The batter has to be prepared day ahead. So in the morning you can easily bake them, without preparation mess. Easy to make, healthy ... what else to say.. juts give them a try.

Recipe comes form "The Australian Women's Weekly. Muffins"

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 185g flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon  
• 110g caster sugar
• 105g wheat bran
• 120g chopped dates
• 125 ml oil
• 375 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg

Put all ingredients into a bowl, stir them until all combined. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning. Preheat the oven to 200C.

Line with paper cases or slightly grease the muffin.

Spoon the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. When ready remove form the oven set aside for a few minutes to cool the muffins down and enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Lemon muffins with lemon curd

I have recently made lemon curd. Whole jar of this yellow, creamy, sweet and sour mixture. We could have eaten that, I believe it wouldn't last long, but I wanted to bake some muffins with the curd. While looking for some inspiration on line I came across this recipe. It was perfect. Light cake, rich, sweet and sour lemon curd and very sweet icing. Yummmyyy... And because it close to Easter I baked the muffins is Easter style liners and make the icing and curd look like and fried egg :)

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 350g flour
• 105g sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (I didn't have lemon so used lemon extract instead)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 60 ml oil (used canola oil)
• 250 ml milk
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp lemon extract (if not using lemon zest)

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

Put the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt into a bowl and whisk them together.

In a jug mix the oil and milk, add the lemon extract if not using lemon zest.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff.

Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones. Mix until just combined. Then gently fold in the egg whites. Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Transfer to the wire rack to cool down. 

Prepare the icing.

Ingredients for icing:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp double cream
• some milk

 Put the sugar into a small bowl add the cream and mix with spoon until turn into thick white paste. If it's too thick add few drops of milk and stir again.

Take the cooled muffin, cut the hole in the top. If you have use the muffin corer if not try with knife. Try to make clean, round shape. 

Fill the hole with lemon curd.

Talking about lemon curd. You can use one form a shop or make you own one. 

I prefer home made. It is not difficult to make one, you can store it in fridge for about a week. Here is a recipe I usually use.

Ingredients for 250 - 300ml of lemon curd:

• 160ml sugar
• 125 ml fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 125 ml unsalted butter

 Whisk the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks and egg together in a metal or glass heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and gently whisk the mixture form time to time. Within 15 minutes the mixture should thickened . Remove the curd from the heat and strain into a bowl. Stir in the butter until it melts completely. Pour the mixture into a jar and chill it. The curd will set in the jar. You can use it later in many ways, spread on toast, as crepe filling ... or just eat straight from the jar :) The recipe comes form Anna Olson 'Back to baking' cookbook. 

Coming back to muffins. When they filled with lemon curd then take a spoon and spread the icing around the yellow circle to make it look like the egg. Or if you not happy with it just drizzle the icing over a top. 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Caramelized onion muffins

Although caramelized onion muffins are rather savoury ones they taste sweet thanks to the onion. They are soft, dense a little bit moist and packed with  caramelized onion bits. The best when baked in small muffin cases just for two, three bites. The recipe comes form 'Easy muffins'

Caramelized onions:

• 3 medium size onions
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar

Chop the onion finely. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften (about 3 minutes). Then stir in the sugar and the vinegar. Cook for further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove form the heat and set aside to cool.

Ingredients for 12 - 18 muffins:

• 5 tbsp oil
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 280g flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• salt and pepper

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

 Whisk the eggs add the oil and buttermilk and mix them well. 

In separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Pour in the wet ingredients mixture and add the onion mixture reserving 4 teaspoons for topping. Stir gently until combined, do not over - mix.

Spoon the batter into muffin cases about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining onion mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until well risen. 

Serve warm or cooled down.

Enjoy ! 

Recipe in Polish.

Coconut, white chocolate and cranberry muffins

Very tasty, soft white chocolate muffins with dessicated coconut and fresh and dried cranberries. The best when freshly baked a little bit dry later but still good with cup of freshly brewed tea or coffee. 

Ingredients for 12 - 18 muffins:

• 125g white chocolate
• 250ml milk
• 250g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 150g dried cranberries (I had only 90g)
• 50g dessicated coconut
• 2 eggs
• 100g sugar
• 90ml canola oil
• 65g frozen cranberries (I added the as I didn't have enough of dried cranberries)

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

Break the chocolate and place it in a bowl then add the milk. Place the bowl over a pot with boiling water and stir until chocolate melts down. Remove form heat and set aside.

Into separate bowl put the flour, baking powder, salt, dried cranberries, coconut and mix them all. Set aside.

In third bowl place the eggs and sugar and whisk them until pale and fluffy. Then add the canola oil. Add half of the flour mixture and half of milk and stir them together with a spoon until smooth. Then add the remaining flour and milk and stir again. At last fold in the frozen cranberries. 

Spoon the  batter into prepared earlier muffin cases, 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes until well risen and golden on the top. 

Enjoy !

For recipe in Polish have a look here.

Oatmeal muffins with apple, banana, cranberries, cashews and pinch of cinnamon

This is perfect meal to go. If you like a warm, dense, rich in goodness porridge for a breakfast and you don't have a time to prepare one for yourself this is perfect solution. Those muffins are dense, chewy, moist .... just delicious. Oatmeal muffins are made with wholegrain flour and porridge oats packed with fruits, nuts .. everything your body need in the morning The recipe comes from Eat Good 4 Life.  

Ingredients for 12 - 14 muffins:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 60 ml canola oil
• 75 ml milk
• 165g sugar
• 2 apples
• 130g wholegrain flour
• 170g oats
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 45g cashews (used those one instead of walnuts)
• 45g dried cranberries
• pinch of cinnamon

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

Peel  the apples remove cores. Cut the apples into a small chunks and set aside. Chop the nuts into smaller chunks and set aside.

Place peeled  bananas in a bowl and mash them. Add the egg, canola oil, milk and mix them together.

In separate bowl put sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and mix them. Pour in the mixture of wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Then fold in the apples, nuts and cranberries. 

Spoon the batter into prepared earlier muffin tin paper cups about 3/4 full. Bake them in preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.   

For recipe in Polish please have a look here.

Enjoy !

Gingerbread and banana muffins

Today I would like to present gingerbread and banana muffins. They were really good, moist, dense, spicy .... in my opinion they were just perfect. I have decorated them with white frosting, the same which is used to decorate gingerbread cookies. For additional spice I have sprinkled them with chopped crystallized ginger. What is worth to mention those muffins are egg free and they contain some wholewheat flour. The recipe comes form this website. 

Ingredients for 12 - 16 muffins *:

• 130g wholewheat flour
• 175g flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 90g Dark Muscovado sugar
• 3 bananas (about 275g mashed bananas)
• 145g black treacle
• 112g buttermilk
• 4 tbsp canola oil

* I have baked mine in muffin cases and cardboard molds.

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

In a big bowl mix together the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

With a fork mash the bananas. Add the sugar, black treacle, buttermilk, canola oil and mix until smooth. 

Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones. Mix until all ingredients just combined. Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Check with skewer. If skewer inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean the cake is ready. 

Transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

In a meantime prepare the frosting. 

Frosting:

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• chopped crystallized ginger

Place the egg white and icing sugar in a bowl and stir with spoon until smooth and white. Drizzle over each cooled down muffin. Then sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger. 

Cinnamon, courgette, carrot and cranberry muffins

I have recently came across this interesting recipe. And because I had all necessary ingredients home I gave it a try immediately. I was especially happy to use frozen cranberries as I had a pack of them in my freezer for ages. Muffins were very tasty. Soft, moist, not too sweet a little bit sour  with lovely crust. I think one of my favourite. What more important my children eat them despite the fact they were packed with vegetables.

Ingredients for 12 big or 24 smaller muffins:

• 320g flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 220g sugar
• 230 ml canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 medium size carrot about 80 g
• 1 medium size courgette 180g
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 120g frozen cranberries

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

Finely grate the carrot and courgette.

Place the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg ans sugar in a big bowl and mix all ingredients together. 

In separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla. Pour this mixture in a  bowl with grated veggies add frozen cranberries and mix. Add everything into a dry ingredients. Mix everything until just combined.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. 

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. When ready remove form the oven. Let the muffin cool for a few minutes in baking tin then transfer to the wire rack to cool down completely.  

Repeat with remaining batter.

Enjoy ! 

For recipe in Polish look here.

Pumpkin muffins

This is the last pumpkin muffin recipe in this pumpkin season. I didn't want to bake any pumpkin cakes but I had remaining of pumpkin pure and I found Anna Olson recipe which I wanted to try. Muffin were tender, springy in touch, moist and spicy.

Ingredients for 6 - 9 muffins:

• 65g wholewheat flour
• 50g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
•  1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 190g pumpkin pure
• 60g brown sugar
• 75g buttermilk
• 1 egg white
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp canola oil

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a big bowl combine the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice and set aside.

In separate bowl stir together the pumpkin pure, sugar, buttermilk, egg white and canola oil. Pour this mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients. Combine all ingredients until just moist.

Spoon the batter into paper cases up to 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. When baked transfer to a wire rack to cool down.

Enjoy !