Chocolate Blackberry Muffin
I still have some leftover of blackberries in the freezer from before. I need to clear the freezer, so I decided to combine them with a leftover bar of chocolate and make some muffins. I used Green & Black's Chili Chocolate (very delicious 60% dark chocolate with more than a hint of chili and spices!) but I guess any chocolate bar will do. It is true when they say good ingredients make good cakes and bakes!
2 cups (225g) self raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
80g butter, melted
150ml milk
1 tbs of lemon juice (optional)
1 egg
1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chopped into small pieces
1 punnet of blackberries (roughly 1 cup and a bit more)
Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin pan with paper cases (or grease the pan). Mix flour, sugar and salt, chocolate pieces and blackberries in a big bowl. Mix melted butter, milk, lemon juice and egg in another bowl. Pour the liquid mix into the dry mix and, well, mix. Please do not overmix as this will make the muffin tough. Divide into muffin cases and bake 20-25 minutes. The batter should give you 12 medium muffins.
Orange Cupcake with Marmalade Icing for a Grumpy Day ("Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe", Jenny Colgan)
2 whole oranges, divided. Blood oranges may be useful to squeeze out frustration
8 oz butter, melted. Use the fire of your righteous anger to melt the butter if a pot isn't handy
3 whole eggs. Plus an additional three to break therapeutically by throwing at the wall
8 oz sugar. Add more sugar if life needs a little sweetening
8 oz self-esteem-raising flour
3 tbsp marmalade
3 tbsp orange zest
Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Butter cake tins. Chop one orange, skin and all, into chunks and place in your mixer with the melted butter, eggs and sugar. Mix on high until well combined and the satisfying noise of the mixer makes you feel a little bit better. Pour the mix into a bowl with the flour and whack repeatedly with a wooden spoon until subdued. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Allow to cool for five minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread marmalade on top. Attempt to rediscover zest.
*Haven't tried this recipe yet. Will do as soon as I can locate a mixer.
11.11.11 Banana Dark Chocolate Toblerone Muffin (suitable for kusut days)
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
2 large bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 large triangles of Dark Chocolate Toblerone
Heat oven to 170C.
Mash bananas with sugar. Add milk, egg and oil and mix well. Pour banana mix into flour, mix gently until just combined. Chop Toblerone into small pieces, fold in flour mix. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.
