United Cakedom: muffins

Showing posts with label muffins. Show all posts

Apple Crumble Muffins {recipe}

Whenever someone says they don't know how to bake or they aren't good at baking I always try to encourage them to start with muffins. You cannot go wrong with muffins and if you comment and say yes you can I fucked some up one time. I will stand corrected, but I assure you that they are pretty easy and straight forward.

In the past 9 months or so I have become somewhat of a bookstagrammer. What is a bookstagrammer? Well, it's a made up word that smooshes book and instagrammer together and indicates people who share pictures of books and talk only of books.

And it is through this lovely amazing community that I have met some fun people a couple in person. One lovely person (find her here) and I did a book swap and along with the book she sent me a recipe for these Apple Crumble Muffins.

So, I just had to try them out! I am glad I did, they turned out great and the bonus was that my flat smelt like apples and cinnamon.

Apple Crumble Muffins:

Crumble -

150g plain flour
150g light brown sugar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
85g salted butter, melted*

Whisk the dry ingredients together before mixing in the melted butter, use a fork or a whisk to sort of mash it together until it resembles crumbs. As seen in the pictures. *I didn't have salted butter so I added a pinch of salt.

Apple Muffins -

100ml veggie oil
85g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
130ml buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
300g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
approx. 2 apples, peeled and chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 190C or 170Cfan and line your muffin tin with paper liners.
Whisk the oil, brown sugar, caster sugar, and buttermilk together until just combined.
Add eggs one at a time and whisk until just combined. Stir through the vanilla extract.
Gradually add the flour to the mixture and mix until just combined, you don't want to over mix. Fold in the apples.
Divide the batter between the paper cases, about 3/4 full. Then generously add the crumble topping to each muffin press down lightly, otherwise while baking it can just fall off.
Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven, I know I have a tricky spot in one corner of my oven so after 10 minutes I rotate my muffin tin.

While you are waiting for them to bake, take my advice and clean up so you don't have to deal with that shit later and get your coffee and book ready!

Banana, Pecan & Chocolate Muffins {Soulful Baker by Julie Jones}

Muffins don't really get enough credit in the baking world. They are versatile and can carry pretty much any flavor combination you throw at it.

I have made many of banana muffins in my days, but I never added pecans and chocolate to them, nor have I ever drizzled them with maple syrup....

There were so many recipes in Soulful Baker that I want to try out, but with the kids back to school and a million other life things taking priority I stuck to a simple yet delicious bake!

Banana, Pecan & Chocolate Muffins

80g unsalted butter
300g self-rising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g golden caster sugar
220ml whole milk
1 medium egg
1 tbsp maple syrup, extra to drizzle
50g dark or milk chocolate, chopped or chips
50g pecans, toasted and chopped
100g mushed bananas

Preheat the oven 180C/200C. Line a muffin tin with 8 muffin liners.
Melt the butter in a pan and leave to cool. Place pecans in the oven to toast them, keep an eye as nuts are easy to burn, if you haven't already. Sieve together the flour and baking powder, then re-sift into the bowl of a free-standing mixer. Add the sugar.
In a separate jug/bowl whisk the milk and egg together, then pour onto the flour and sugar mixture. Mix on a medium speed until just combined. Add the cooled melted butter and maple syrup, chopped chocolate, pecans, and the mashed banana. Give it a quick mix until it's just combined.
Bake for about 30 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Use the skewer test to check if they are done and leave to cool a few minutes before eating and drizzle the maple syrup over the top!

Muffins turned out perfectly and were delicious with just the right amount of dark chocolate and pecans. If this recipe isn't enough to convince you to give Soulful Baker a look go check out my review here!

Banana and Walnut Muffins

No one ever eats a whole bunch of bananas. That's why I generally only buy 3 at a time, one for me and one each for my little people. I could continue down the path of going on about how these muffins are a great way to use up old bananas, but to be honest I bought discounted already brown bananas just so I could make these muffins!

Actually I had a bag of walnuts in my cupboard - so this time it wasn't the bananas at all! Except for the muffins. The muffins are about the bananas.

Banana and Walnut Muffins

3-4 ripe bananas, smashed

75g melted butter

190g sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

200g flour

100g walnuts, chopped up

Heat the oven 180C. Mix the smashed bananas and butter together. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle in baking powder and salt and mix. Slowly add flour, blending after each addition. Fold in the walnuts and scoop the batter into the muffin pan, lined. Bake 18-25 minutes.

These muffins are super easy to make! They actually don't take all that long in the oven and can easily be made upon waking up on one lazy weekend morning!

Baking Lately - the adventures and happenings at United Cakedom

I wouldn't say I loved my job at Sainsbury's, as an online shopper, but I didn't hate it either. I loved being a witness to the sun rising and to scenes like the one above. I loved having my whole day ahead of me, but most of all I loved my co-workers. It was a comfortable environment and we were a great team of people. The only thing that made me want to change my job is that I was tired of dragging myself out of bed at 3:30am for a 4pm start. Picture below was taken on my last day and you can see how tired I am.

I have found another part time job that suits my lifestyle better. It's just another change in a year of changes. I am looking forward to a new challenge, but sad about leaving behind two years of essentially some really great friendships. There are a handful of people I will be keeping in touch with, and the rest well let's just say thank goodness for Facebook!

One of things I did before I left is bake this Coffee and Walnut Cake for a charity bake sale going to BIBS, the local charity that our branch is currently supporting. Recipe can be found in Nigella's Kitchen on online here!

I was told it was big hit and I got pictures of people eating it and the empty plate! The bake sale it's self was a big hit and it raised money for a great cause! BIBS (Babies in Buscot Support) is a registered charity that supports babies and their families in the special care baby unit (Buscot Ward) at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

This cake is one of many things I have baked lately, but haven't shared with you all! A lot of what I have been baking is stuff I not only have baked before, but also blogged. Here are a few of the things I've been Baking Lately:

Strawberry & Cream Muffins

Banana Bread

(I haven't actually blogged this, but the recipe comes from the hummingbird bakery cookbook.)

Muesli Flapjacks

So, that's a quick update on what I've been up to lately! I am still baking, but not as frequently nor as experimental as I used to be. I have also been a terrible baking supporter and have missed most of the Great British Bake Off this year. Think I will spend the rest of my Sunday trying to catch up with it as it is the semi-finals this week!

It is my hope that once I've settled into my new job and I get a new routine set I will have more time to not only bake, but blog and get back into the blogging world! I have missed it as I have been dealing with real life stuff.

I was all ready to get my Jamberry business off the ground and running and I've literally done nothing in regards to running it as a business, but I am still buying and using them! My latest manicure is called Ribbon Dance and I'm very pleased with it!

United Jamdom

A link to my sight if you want to check them out!

There are a lot of new styles for Autumn/Winter!

Thanks for reading! Do you have a favorite cake or cookie or pastry or bread and so on recipe that you bake over and over again? Leave a comment below I would love to know!

notes: This post has not been sponsored in any shape or form by any of above mentioned people/places/things! Please see my contact/policy page above for more information!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, & Fudge Muffins

Whenever some one says to me that they would like to start baking, but don't know where to start or what to try first I always suggest muffins. Muffins are one of the easiest things to bake as you just mix all the dry ingredients together and then the wet ingredients. They also almost always use oil instead of butter and therefore usually turn out soft and fluffy!

Muffins are also a great thing to bake with children for the same reasons above! These delicious Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, and Fudge muffins were created last Sunday morning by my two girls.

Sunday's are our lazy days and they wanted muffins for breakfast. They couldn't agree on chocolate chips or fudge pieces so we put both in! We were all ready to go and we had all our stuff out ready to go when I realised we didn't have eggs!! I know!! To avoid disappointed we ran to our corner shop in our jammies!

Both girls were like "What?!?! We're going to walk there in our jammies?!?!" They were shocked and horrified, but at 7 o'clock in the morning (they are early risers) it was only the guy working there who saw us!

So, for lazy Sunday mornings or something to do over the summer holidays bake these tasty peanut butter muffins and add whatever you want to them!!

Peanut butter, chocolate chip, & fudge muffins

150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
pinch of salt
90g peanut butter
100ml sunflower oil
1 large egg
175ml milk
chocolate chips
fudge pieces

Heat the oven to 200C line the cupcake/muffin tin with paper cases.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a big bowl, add the the sugar and salt - mix together.
In a smaller bowl or jug mix the peanut butter, oil, egg, and milk together. The peanut butter won't fully incorporate, but that's okay!
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold in until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and fudge pieces. I guesstimated them about 50g of chocolate chips and about 25g fudge pieces.
Spoon into the paper cases and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Until the sponge springs back after being lightly touched, if in doubt use the skewer test.

notes: recipe adapted by my 8 & 6 from 100 Magnificent Muffins and Scones by Felicity Barnum-Bobb

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, & Fudge Muffins

Peanut butter, chocolate chip, & fudge muffins

notes: recipe adapted by my 8 & 6 from 100 Magnificent Muffins and Scones by Felicity Barnum-Bobb

Tropical Muesli Muffins

With the weather changing I thought I'd brighten up my favourite muffins recipe with a tropical twist. I used coconut oil in place of the normal sunflower oil and added some desiccated coconut instead of sultanas. Then smooshed up a banana for extra oomph! And it wasn't just any old muesli it was a tropical muesli. One made by Dorset Cereals Simply Fruity Muesli - it has pineapple, papaya, and sultanas.

Normally I wouldn't mention a brand name. Gone are the days when bloggers can just say they like something without someone thinking that they were paid to mention it. So, normally I wouldn't mention the brand I used and keep it neutral; as I did in the ingredients list. I broke my norm this time because I really do value and enjoy the Dorset Cereals product. They have great flavor combinations that work great in these muffins.

Therefore I should say that they have in no way shape or form endorsed this post. Nor given me the product to "review." In fact they are probably not even aware that I am doing so! Unless one of you tells them.

These muffins are good and will make the whole kitchen smell like a tropical island. That might not be 100% accurate as you won't smell the ocean or other outdoor smells - just tropical fruit smells! Like coconut. Mostly coconut.

I suggest eating these by cutting them in half, while still warm, and gently spread a thin layer of butter on each side. With that I give you the recipe ....

Tropical Muesli Muffins

50g self-raising flour
75g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g, tropical muesli, plus extra to top the muffins with
50g desiccated coconut
75g light muscovado sugar
100ml coconut oil
1 egg
150ml milk
1 small ripe banana, smooshed

Heat the oven to 200C and line the cupcake/muffin tin with 9 paper liners.
Sift both of the flours into a mixing bowl and mix in the baking powder, muesli, coconut, and sugar.
In a jug mix the oil, egg, milk, and smooshed banana.
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined.
Divide into the paper cases and sprinkle with extra muesli.
Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately with butter!

notes: find the original muesli muffin post here! Just to reiterate that Dorset Cereals do not endorse this post - for more information see my contact/policy page or have a read of this post I wrote a while back about advertising and my blog!

Muesli Muffins - Breakfast Time!

Breakfast is pretty much my favorite meal of the day, but it’s my least favorite to cook. It’s the whole waking up getting ready and then like dude I have to cook something I just want food ready for me to eat so I can eat and go.

These muffins are easy to throw together and take like 15 minutes to bake. So, maybe not quick quick but it’s less faff, as they say in England. (Faff is taking your time and messing about.)

With these you get up mix them up, put them in the oven and then go get dressed and other morning rituals by the time you’re down with that they are ready!

Not all muffins are created equal. I’m not going to go on about how muffins can be healthy because lets face it some muffins are just cupcakes without frosting.

These ones, however, have a mix of white and wholemeal flour and only 75g of sugar divided by the amount of muffins. It’s quite low compared to other muffins. Of course you’ll have to look at the sugar in your choice of muesli and raisins and include that too, but it’s probably going to be minimal.

Not only are they easy to make, but they taste great too. Eat them warm out of the oven or the next day with a blast in the microwave!

Muesli Muffins

50g self-raising flour
75g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g, muesli of your choice
50g sultanas
75g light muscovado sugar
100ml sunflower oil
1 egg
150ml milk

Heat the oven to 200C and line the cupcake/muffin tin with 9 paper liners.
Sift both of the flours into a mixing bowl and mix in the baking powder, muesli, sultanas, and sugar.
In a jug mix the oil, egg, and milk.
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined.
Divide into the paper cases and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately with butter and coffee!