Spicy pumpkin & date muffins

Spicy pumpkin & date muffins

I know, I sound like a complete knob asking people to use organic stoneground unbleached freshly milled plain flour but the reason for that is that I accidently purchased some online, thinking it was just regular old plain flour. Anyway, if you manage to get your hands on it, it’s a lovely, healthy flour which[read more…]

Raspberry, white chocolate, coconut & streusel muffins

Raspberry, white chocolate, coconut & streusel muffins

These are some cute muffins I baked the other day.  They’re lovely and great to freeze for heating up later. I’ll be back with another recipe post when the weather’s a bit cooler and I feel like baking again

Vanilla berry coconut mini Bundt cakes

Vanilla berry coconut mini Bundt cakes

Has anyone else ever done this?!  Found a mysterious item in your kitchen?  I found a fancy mini Bundt tin in my cupboard shaped like sunflowers which I’ve never used (we live in a flat and while there’s a decent amount of kitchen cupboard space, some things are hard to get to, being up high or right[read more…]

Soft & fluffy wholemeal blueberry oat streusel muffins

Soft & fluffy wholemeal blueberry oat streusel muffins

These rustic muffins are relatively healthy and wholesome and I gave them a fluffy texture by using wholemeal cake flour (basically just cornflour added to plain wholemeal – makes for a really soft crumb but with added fibre and such). These are packed with blueberries and a bit spicy with a light crunchy topping; they’re just the thing for morning tea.

Peanut butter chocolate chunk muffins

Peanut butter chocolate chunk muffins

These are so easy to whip up.  I love how the chocolate chunks were all melty warm from the oven. I used a friand tin to make them a bit fancier but a normal muffin tin will do.  

Lime raspberry friands

Lime raspberry friands

I’ve been neglecting my friand tin lately.  It’s really just the egg yolks left over that throws me a bit but it’s always a good excuse to make luscious, home made custard or crème brulee. Anyway, raspberry season is the best because I enjoy baking with berries more than anything and these look quite festive.

Cinnamon roll cakes

Cinnamon roll cakes

These are exactly like cinnamon rolls except in soft, fluffy cake form.  They really are decadent.  And oh the cream!  It makes for such a gorgeous cake.  And aren’t saturated fats good for us now or something?  Hah. They’re at their best warm out of the oven with the icing slightly soft and drizzly, however I froze the remainder[read more…]

Blackberry lime muffins (vegan)

Blackberry lime muffins (vegan)

I make muffins quite often to freeze for morning teas and such, so thought I’d use some blackberries I had in the freezer and a few limes left over from gin and tonics on a recent weekend to bake some summer inspired, vegan little cakes. There really isn’t any difference between these and muffins using eggs and dairy; they[read more…]

Lemon streusel muffins with home made lemon butter

Lemon streusel muffins with home made lemon butter

I felt like something super lemony the other day, you know? So these little cakes are fluffy, soft and citrusy with a buttery streusel topping; they’re perfect with a cup of coffee.  I just love lemon desserts with coffee, it seems a perfect match. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I made lemon butter to go with[read more…]

Mixed berry and lemon muffins with berry icing

Mixed berry and lemon muffins with berry icing

In saying goodbye to warmer weather, I made some berry bejeweled muffins made from ingredients I just had at home, which happen to be healthy and cute at the same time (also, we’re not quite ready for warm spicy treats yet, we still have our air con on currently).  The muffin itself isn’t overly sweet however[read more…]

Fig, walnut and spice friands with vanilla bean custard

Fig, walnut and spice friands with vanilla bean custard

Friands are sweet, little, oval teatime cakes traditionally made with almond meal and egg whites.  I don’t make them that often, not because they’re difficult, they’re not at all, but because they use egg whites which means you then have all these lovely egg yolks left over. So last weekend for afternoon tea I put together a[read more…]

Rainy day baking – Nigella’s orange breakfast muffins

Rainy day baking – Nigella’s orange breakfast muffins

These muffins inspired by Nigella remind me of Christmas – all orange, fragrant, sweet and somehow festive although I can’t quite pinpoint why.  Warm from the oven, they have a lovely crusty exterior, are fluffy inside and also have a subtle cornbread quality which I love. As the lady says, eat them just out of the oven, with unsalted butter and good jam[read more…]

Sweet potato and pecan loaf

Sweet potato and pecan loaf

I love sweet potatoes, all kinds really but particularly the orange – I mean who doesn’t?  They’re sweet, healthy and a gorgeous colour. Yesterday I had a huge organic sweet potato sitting on my kitchen bench and I also had pecans, maple essence, dates and other baking essentials so thought I’d knock together a sweet potato loaf.  I also decided on some[read more…]

Strawberry buttermilk muffins

Strawberry buttermilk muffins

I had an epiphany late in bed the other night.  Yeah I know, I’m daft (or I was hungry), but it suddenly came to me how delicious strawberry buttermilk muffins would be.   Strawberries aren’t a fruit you commonly hear about in terms of baking, at least not as much as blueberries, raspberries or cherries, and I don’t know[read more…]

Raspberry friands

Raspberry friands

I purchased a friand tin on impulse the other day so of course I had to give it a test run.  I’ve never baked friands before, although I’ve had them quite often in cafes with a coffee. I loved the soft texture inside these easy-to-make little cakes, with crisp edges and a burst of berries. So if you[read more…]