New to baking

I started with basic cakes, nice and easy to start with,
4oz s/r flour
4oz castor sugar
4oz marg
2 eggs
1 tspn baking powder

i normally mix it all together, then either split into 2 tins and make a sponge (jam and cream in the middle) or put into paper cases and make fairy cakes.
180 C, until lightly browned and risen, will be slightly 'springy' in the centre when you put your finger on it when it is cooked.

Try this and you will never look back! (Raspberry and white choc are fantabulous!)

Basic Muffins

Ingredients:

10 oz (250 g) plain flour*

3 tsp/15ml baking powder

½ tsp/2.5ml salt

3 oz (85g) white granulated sugar

1 egg

8 fl oz (240ml) milk

3 fl oz (90ml) corn oil

Or 3 oz (85g) melted butter

* If using self raising flour decrease baking powder to 1 teaspoon/ 5 ml



Method

1. Prepare muffin tins with muffin cases or grease well. Preheat oven to 375 - 400°F/ 190 - 200°C/ Gas Mark 5-6 if baking on middle rack, Gas Mark 4-5 if baking nearer top of oven.

2. In large bowl sift together (or stir well with fork) flour, baking powder, salt.

3. In another bowl, beat egg with a fork, stir in milk, followed by oil or melted butter and sugar.

4. Pour all of liquid ingredients into dry mixture. Stir just until combined, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl as you stir. This should take only about 30 seconds. Batter will be lumpy but no dry flour should be visible. This is correct . Take care not to over-stir as this will result in tough muffins! DO NOT USE MIXERS!

5. Fill muffin cups approx ¾ full. Use all the mixture - will give you big muffins like in shop. There is not too much mixture! Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until tops are lightly browned and spring back when gently pressed. Allow to cool for several minutes to make removal easier if not using liners. Best served warm. Store in airtight container. Eat within 2 days. Can be frozen – cool to room temp. & freeze in airtight bags/containers.



Note: If using Fan oven – decrease temp. to approx 170°C. Baking time may also need to be shortened.



Variations:

1. Jam doughnut muffin – half fill case with mixture, put in blob of jam and top with more mixture.

2. Choc Chip Muffins

- Add 3 oz (85g) choc chips to dry ingredients.

3. Fruit Muffins

- Increase flour to 280g/ 10oz

- Increase sugar 3-4 oz depending on fruit used/personal preference.

- 4 - 5oz (100 - 140 g) summer berries either alone or in combination. Can use fresh or frozen – do not thaw if frozen. Chop larger sized berries coarsely. Fold in berries at the end using only 2-3 strokes to avoid crushing the fruit. Serve plain for a healthy snack or warm with cream for a yummy dessert



- Raspberry & white chocolate – add chunks of white chocolate (approx 100g) and frozen raspberries (approx 100g) at end.



- Apricot and White Chocolate or Almonds: add chopped ready to eat dried apricots and chocolate or chopped/flaked almonds.
(can use any choc - we like belgian cooking choc from sainbury/asda, just chop coarsely with knife and tip in crumbs and all! No nibbling! )



Yum Yum! Enjoy!

Tips:

If you like use loaf tin or round cake tin instead and bake for slightly longer to have a muffin cake - slice and serve warm as dessert or cold as cake!

If your muffins are not big - next time use a little more flour say heaped tablespoon and a splash more milk.

If they are flat and overflow the cases/tins, you have too much liquid - try using a little less or adding a little more flour.

I get the best results from value plain flour and baking powder rather than self raising.

Cheers!
bigmuffins

Good luck Fay, up until Jan I was a baking virgin too, its surprising how easy it is and the kids just LOVE the cakes & biscuits and won't eat shop bought now!

Fay wrote:

I have decided that I am going to try for muffins this weekend, to take to work next week! Is a muffin tin the same as a yorkshire pudding tin? hehe Also I have a recipe that calls fro caster sugar, can I use golden caster as I brought some of this the other week and haven't opened it yet?

I think you may be better off buying a proper muffin tin really, the yorkshire pudding ones are a bit too shallow. You can pick up decent ones in the supermarkets for about £2.99. And I think you should be fine using the golden caster sugar although it might give your muffins a slightly darker colour

RP

Hi
Muffin tins are basically deep fairy cake tins.
To get proper big muffins - use the deep tins and muffin paper cake cases.
Can use smaller fairy cake cases/tins but may 'overflow' a bit - still taste good!
I would just use a loaf tin if you haven't got a 12 hole muffin tin and then slice up (only thing is you do eat more!)

Have another easy recipe for muesli slice that just needs a traybake type tin - is very moreish!

Muesli Slice



Ingredients:

2 medium size eggs beaten

4 oz butter

2 tbsp honey

1 cup natural muesli

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup currants

½ cup chopped dried apricots

½ cup wholemeal flour (plain or self raising)

½ cup flaked almonds





Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C

2. Grease and line the base of a deep sided 19cm x 29 cm traybake tin

3. Melt butter and honey together gently in large pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4. Add all ingredients to pan except eggs and mix well.

5. Then add beaten eggs and mix well.

6. Press mixture into tin and bake for 30-35 mins.

7. Turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool. Cut into slices with sharp knife to serve.


Enjoy!