I’ve always wondered what the difference is between a cupcake and a muffin. As I baked these beauties yesterday I thought one of the main differences is that muffins are perfectly acceptable as a breakfast food, where cupcakes just aren’t. There are other things too, of course, like less sugar and a more crumbly texture. And no icing or frosting.
I love a good muffin. I’m not a big fan of the sweetness of cupcakes, they can be a bit hit and miss with me, and icing just gives me an instant headache. So muffins are my perfect little treat, I love the crumbly tops… they’re always the best bit, don’t you think?
I’ve said before that any cake, loaf or muffin that has sour cream as an ingredient is a winner for me. It creates a beautiful flavour and adds a moistness that just works. These muffins are great for using up any fruit that you have. They’d be great with raspberries and peaches, or blueberries, or mixed berries like I used. You can use fresh or frozen {I can’t bring myself to use fresh as it seems a little cruel, but frozen is great. Don’t bother defrosting – just toss them in as is}. This recipe is adapted from the lovely Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients
70g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup berries or fruit of your choice
Method
♥ Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Get out 12 muffin wrappers and place them on a tray.
♥ Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and beat well. Add the zest and sour cream.
♥ Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix to combine. You’ll probably need to ditch the electric mixer at this stage and mix with a large spoon as this is quite a thick mixture.
♥ Add your fruit and fold in gently. You don’t want to mush the fruit or alter the colour of the batter, so just fold them in.
♥ Fill your muffin cups until 2/3 full. If you want to make bigger muffins, fill them more and just make 10. You’ll just need to watch them as they cook to get the time right.
♥ Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are lovely and golden or a skewer comes out clean when you poke it inside the muffin.
