Baking is a great way to get young people interested in the kitchen and, with a little help, these two recipes are great ones to learn. One of the great things about learning to bake muffins is that you can eat one straight out of the oven. There is also that lovely baking smell for guests when they arrive at your house.
These muffins have less sugar than normal as the prunes give a greater depth of sweetness. The yoghurt lightens the crumb a little and provides a small amount of sourness, which is enhanced by also using the buttermilk or soured milk. These muffins will disappear very soon after they are out of the oven. Trust me!
I get asked a lot about gluten-free these days and people want to make something very good that will work for everybody rather than do something separate for the coeliac or gluten-intolerant person. This gluten-free Madeira cake is made in a matter of minutes with the aid of a food processor, and people will not even realise it is gluten-free. It is a foolproof method and a great one when you want to just get the cake made ASAP.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Oatmeal and prune muffins with blueberries
Makes 12
75g (3oz) butter
250g (9oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g (3oz) light muscovado sugar
100g (4oz) pitted prunes, finely chopped
One large egg
200g (7oz) Greek-strained yoghurt
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) buttermilk (or use milk soured with the juice of half a lemon)
75g (3oz) blueberries
25g (1oz) porridge oats
1 Preheat the oven to 180OC, (fan 160OC/350OF/gas mark four) and line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave, then leave to cool. 2 Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and prunes into a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter with the egg, yoghurt and buttermilk or soured milk and mix until it all comes together, using as few stirs as possible as this will produce fluffier muffins. Fold in the blueberries until just combined. 3 Using a large spoon or ice-cream scoop, divide the mixture between the paper cases, ensuring you get every last bit out of the bowl. Sprinkle the oats on top and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through. To test if they are cooked, a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin should come out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool a little in the tin. 4 These muffins are delicious warm or cold but preferably on the day they’re made. Gluten-free Madeira cake
Makes one 450g (1lb) loaf
100g (4oz) gluten-free self-raising flour
75g (3oz) ground almonds
150g (5oz) caster sugar
175g (6oz) butter, cold and cut into cubes
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
Three medium eggs
2 tbsp warm water
1 Preheat the oven to 180OC, (fan 160OC/350OF/gas mark four) and have the middle shelf of the oven ready, as this is the best place to bake cakes. Line a 450g (1lb) loaf tin with parchment paper. 2 Put the flour, almonds and caster sugar, along with the butter and lemon rind, into a food processor and pulse until it comes to find breadcrumbs. If you do not have a food processor then you can also use your hands to rub the mixture together, putting your hands in and rubbing the butter and flour mixture and then letting it fall back in to the bowl. Keep doing this until it reaches fine breadcrumbs. Lightly beat the eggs with the warm water in a jug and then add to the food processor and beat really well until it comes together. 3 Using a plastic spatula, spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts to go a little dark on top, just cover it with a little baking parchment. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into slices. Read more
Neven Maguire: the key is simplicity
Neven Maguire: love is in the air
Baking is a great way to get young people interested in the kitchen and, with a little help, these two recipes are great ones to learn. One of the great things about learning to bake muffins is that you can eat one straight out of the oven. There is also that lovely baking smell for guests when they arrive at your house.
These muffins have less sugar than normal as the prunes give a greater depth of sweetness. The yoghurt lightens the crumb a little and provides a small amount of sourness, which is enhanced by also using the buttermilk or soured milk. These muffins will disappear very soon after they are out of the oven. Trust me!
I get asked a lot about gluten-free these days and people want to make something very good that will work for everybody rather than do something separate for the coeliac or gluten-intolerant person. This gluten-free Madeira cake is made in a matter of minutes with the aid of a food processor, and people will not even realise it is gluten-free. It is a foolproof method and a great one when you want to just get the cake made ASAP.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Oatmeal and prune muffins with blueberries
Makes 12
75g (3oz) butter
250g (9oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g (3oz) light muscovado sugar
100g (4oz) pitted prunes, finely chopped
One large egg
200g (7oz) Greek-strained yoghurt
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) buttermilk (or use milk soured with the juice of half a lemon)
75g (3oz) blueberries
25g (1oz) porridge oats
1 Preheat the oven to 180OC, (fan 160OC/350OF/gas mark four) and line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave, then leave to cool. 2 Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and prunes into a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter with the egg, yoghurt and buttermilk or soured milk and mix until it all comes together, using as few stirs as possible as this will produce fluffier muffins. Fold in the blueberries until just combined. 3 Using a large spoon or ice-cream scoop, divide the mixture between the paper cases, ensuring you get every last bit out of the bowl. Sprinkle the oats on top and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through. To test if they are cooked, a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin should come out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool a little in the tin. 4 These muffins are delicious warm or cold but preferably on the day they’re made. Gluten-free Madeira cake
Makes one 450g (1lb) loaf
100g (4oz) gluten-free self-raising flour
75g (3oz) ground almonds
150g (5oz) caster sugar
175g (6oz) butter, cold and cut into cubes
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
Three medium eggs
2 tbsp warm water
1 Preheat the oven to 180OC, (fan 160OC/350OF/gas mark four) and have the middle shelf of the oven ready, as this is the best place to bake cakes. Line a 450g (1lb) loaf tin with parchment paper. 2 Put the flour, almonds and caster sugar, along with the butter and lemon rind, into a food processor and pulse until it comes to find breadcrumbs. If you do not have a food processor then you can also use your hands to rub the mixture together, putting your hands in and rubbing the butter and flour mixture and then letting it fall back in to the bowl. Keep doing this until it reaches fine breadcrumbs. Lightly beat the eggs with the warm water in a jug and then add to the food processor and beat really well until it comes together. 3 Using a plastic spatula, spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts to go a little dark on top, just cover it with a little baking parchment. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into slices. Read more
Neven Maguire: the key is simplicity
Neven Maguire: love is in the air
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