Raspberry, Strawberry & Almond 'Cheesecake' Muffins

Today was a great day - it finally turnied out to be the day i built the bridge for my dry river bed, and the day I finally got a curtain pole put up in my lounge so I can now make some  blue gingham curtains to finish off my room. Also the day I got my mirror on the wall and coat hooks in the understair cupboard. Thanks to my wonderfully talented son and a couple of bizarre encounters at a woodyard I can now say I'm almost done with the list of jobs I made when I first moved in six months ago. 

So to honour such a momentous day I figured I'd better go all out on the muffin front - so that yummy cheesecake-esk filling needed to be added, and then I got all adventerous with the ground almonds so this is the combo we ended up toasting the bridge with.

In a large bowl mix together:
300g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs
almond essence

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:
half cup fresh raspberries
half cup chopped fresh strawberries

In a small bowl mix together:
half tub cream cheese 
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Place a small dollop of the mixture in the base of 12 muffin cases
Then add a small dollop of the cheesecake mixture in the centre
Top off with the remaining muffin batter.
 
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool

Best served in the garden sunshine whilst admiring your newly created bridge!

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

These old favourites went down very well with some other 'old' favourites - the ladies from work! 
I finally got organised enough to have them over to visit the new house and eat muffins chez nous. So after decking our hiking boots for a stroll along the canal in the gorgeous mud and sunshine we returned to tea and muffins.

A very British afternoon.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-rsising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
vanilla essence
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry
Stir in:
100g white chocolate chunks
half cup fresh raspberries

The raspberries will break up and make the mixture marbelled and pink!

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 mins
Leave in the tin a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool

Best served with friends - 'old' or otherwise!

Raspberry Muffins (without white chocolate - outrageous!)

Well this was my first choice to test out the oven, pity I had run out of chocolate chips, but never mind. They tasted ok, but may have needed a bit of extra sweetness. 
Must remember to add white choc chips to the shopping list -now which box was that in!!
I also got to christen my new mega sized mixing bowl - which reads 'good things come to those who bake' - which is great news, bring it on :)

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted salted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs
vanilla essence

Mix the wet into the dry
Stir in:
1 cup fresh raspberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on 190 degrees for 22 minutes,or there abouts
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before moving on to a wire rack to cool

Raspberry and white Chocolate Muffins

All Saint's Day has gone very well so far today - it began with a camera walk in the Autumn woods and sunshine, then I cracked on to do a bit more packing and can actually now see the dining table again - it's been a while. Then feeling inspired I actually did some cleaning before I hit the kitchen and made a winter warming beef stew for supper, and a variant of a shepherds pie for friends. But no day would be completely complete in the kitchen without a batch of freshly warm gooey muffins - so this is what I did next:

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted salted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs
a few drops of vanilla essence

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:
100g white chocolate chips
half cup fresh raspberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool

Then sit down and view those photographs - well I will be doing if I can get my card reader to read!!

Almond Milk Muffins?

I decided to see if adding Almond Milk instead of regular milk would make a nuttier taste to one of my most popular muffin flavours, particularly as I had quite a bit left over from my last bake.

The finished product tasted just as scrummy as usual, so when I buy it again I'll definitely try it in a few other flavours to see what happens.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup almond milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry then stir in:
100g white chocolate chips
half cup fresh raspberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases 
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Raspberry & Lime Cheesecake

Well I think it about time I divulged the easy cheesecake recipe that I got from a friend last year. 
It's quick to make, overly delicious, and mega full of calories, but it's nearly Christmas so go for it! 

Line the base of your tin with:
200g crushed ginger nut biscuits
mixed with 50g melted butter
press down well and pop in the fridge to chill while you make the topping

Cream together:
500g Mascarpone cheese
40g icing sugar
zest and juice of 2 limes

Put the cream onto the chilled biscuit base
place fresh raspberries to decorate
put back in the fridge to chill until required

Be careful how you get the cheesecake out - it's not easy. 
For this cheesecake I used a silicone cake tray, but normally I make a round one and use a homemade circular card frame lined with baking paper and set it on a plate - it's much easier to just peel off the cardboard, rather than push up a whole cheesecake without it breaking!

Raspberry and Chocolate Muffins

Well it does seem like a long while since I've baked muffins, judging by my recent posts. 
But the other day I did another masterclass in how easy muffins are to bake, and this time my willing volunteer opted for Raspberry with milk chocolate.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry, then stir in:
half cup raspberries
half cup milk chocolate chunks

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Victoria Sandwich

The Great British Bake-Off got me inspired to make a Victoria Sandwich this afternoon. Of course I couldn't just do a plain one, so I added fresh Raspberries and Blueberries to the mix, being as the blackberries weren't in season yet.

 It's in old school sizing - no 'grams' here! That way I remember the recipe - it's always the same amount in oz of the dry ingredients, then half as many eggs; 6oz = 3 eggs or 8:4, 10:5. 

Mine seems to be a bit on the small size, but I couldn't have made a bigger mixture because I ran out of eggs. And I expect it would have whisked up bigger too, if I'd got the machine out instead of doing it all by hand.

In a large bowl cream together:
6oz butter
6oz caster sugar

Stir in:
3 large eggs (a bit at a time)
a few drops of vanilla extract

Sift in:
6oz self-raising flour

Throw in:
1 small handful of fresh Raspberries 
1 small handful of Blueberries

Divide the mixture between 2 sandwich tins
Bake on Gas 5 for 25mins until springy to the touch and slightly coming away from the sides of the tin

Leave to cool on a wire rack

Once cool spread with Raspberry Jam
Sandwich together
Then dust Icing Sugar over the top

Strawberry and Raspberry Muffins

The diet is playing havoc with my creativity - so this year at camp we won't have lots pf weird varieties of muffins - I am only baking one dozen, so if you want one you had better be quick! And being as it's the hottest day of the year so far and summer is well and truly here it was only right that I made them with the fruit of the moment - fresh strawberries and raspberries.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
half cup sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry

Then stir in:
1 cup of mixed diced strawberries and raspberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases 
Bake Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Blueberry and Raspberry Muffins

I threw these together quickly this afternoon, being as Jack was bringing home the guys for tea on their way to a Longboarding filming session in Aberystwyth, for the magazine he works for - Thrill Magazine. 
I hope they make the journey a little bit more enjoyable for you all.

In a large bowl mix together:
375g self-raising flour
220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:
90g melted butter
150g sour cream
quarter cup milk
2 large eggs
few drops of vanilla extract

Mix the wet into the dry

Stir in:
half cup of blueberries
half cup of raspberries

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 for 20-25 minutes
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

Enjoy in transit, happy filming!

Waffleberry Pudding

On Christmas Day I had a revelation. For lunch I was offered this Waffleberry Pudding, and I must say it instantly became my absolute most favourite desert ever eaten, even better than Cheesecake, and anyone who knows me well, knows I love Cheesecake to the max! But this is even yummier.
On Boxing Day I had lunch with some other (now) family, and they too made WaffleBerry - so I watched with interest how it was made then refused to leave until they handed me the recipe. 

But it was only this week that I finally had my first attempt at making it. Thankfully it was a success, and tasted every bit as gorgeous as it did on Christmas lunch, so I thought I ought to share the love, and let you have a go at the recipe for yourselves.

Thank you Joy for my first taste of this delight, and thanks Aunty Rachel for the recipe.

You will need

240g waffles

150g white chocolate, chopped

300g raspberries

In a deep sided dish layer half of the waffle.

Sprinkle with half the raspberries 

then half the chocolate chunks

Repeat the layers

In a bowl combine:

55g caster sugar

1 tablesppon plain flour

Add:

500ml sour cream or creme fraiche

3 eggs

half teaspoon vanilla essence

Whisk together

Spoon the mixture over the top of the raspberries

Bake on Gas 6 for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and set in the centre.

Cool for 10 minutes then sprinkle with Icing sugar.

We had it hot with vanilla ice cream at Christmas!And this was all that was left after our Sunday night nosh up in Tamworth this weekend.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Here's a little recipe I got from my friend Annette - I've no idea where she got it from originally, but they are very scrummy and well worth a bake.

In a large bowl cream together::

225g softened unsalted butter

225g caster sugar

Stir in:

170g condensed milk

Sift in:

350g self-raising flour

Work the mix into a soft dough with your hands.

Mix in:

150g white chocolate chips

Take a handful of dough and flaten with your fingers.

Place 2-3 raspberries (from 175g in total) in the centre of the cookie and fold over the sides of the dough to encase the raspberries. 

[However ~ it was at this point that it all went wrong - my raspberries were rather large, and having attempted this, which just broke through the cookie dough and consequently irrepairable, I got frustrated. So I chucked all 175g of the rapsberries into the mixture and just rolled them out into balls and flattened into cookie size pieces.My hands were a mess with a capital M - so make sure you have access to some warm soapy water before you start, or everything you touch will get into a right gloopy state! The cookie however will look just fine.

Now back to the recipe ~ ]

Repeat with the remaining dough

Place the cookies on parchment lined baking trays, spacing well apart

Bake Gas 4 for 15-18 mins until golden brown at the edges, but still a little soft.

Leave to cool before removing onto a wire rack to cool.

Aparently the dough will keep for up to a month in the freezer - but without the raspberries in it. I'd never know, they wouldn't last that long.

Raspberry and Lemon Muffins

Tonight is party night - Claire's Hen Party, and to honour the occassion she is being thrown a 'Pudding and Pants' party. We all take the bride-to-be a gift of a pair of pants, and a pudding to share with everyone else. I can't disclose what sort of pants I am going to suprise the bride with later, but I can say what combo of muffins I've been baking to take with me ~ Lemon and Raspberries.

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self raising flour

220g caster sugar

grated rind of one lemon

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup sour cream

juice of one lemon, made up to a quarter cup with milk if necessary

2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry

Stir in 125g fresh raspberries (one cup)

Put a dollop in the bottom of 12 muffin cases

Drop half a level teaspoon lemon curd on top

Cover with the remaining mixture

Bake Gas 5/6 

For 20-25 mins

Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool

R&B Muffins

Raspberry and Blueberry Muffins - delicious with any kind of music, not just R&B!

In a large bowl mix together:

375g self raising flour

220g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

90g melted butter

half cup sour cream

quarter cup milk

2 large eggs

Mix the wet into the dry

Stir in:

half cup raspberries

half cup blueberries

Divide betrween 12 muffin cases

Bake Gas 5/6

20-25 mins

Leave in the tray for a couple of minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool

Rhubarb and Raspberry Muffins

Last time I tried to put Rhubarb in a muffin there wasn't much flavour, then my brother sent me a recipe for R&R muffins, using Rhubarb yoghurt. I have no idea where he got the recipe from, and the quantities for the ingredients didn't make a lot of sense, so I adapted it, and voila! they turned out ok, albeit a bit raw inside (which I love), despite having cooked them for an extra ten minutes. I wondered if my oven might be playing up, but we had a bit of a bake fest here this weekend, and everything else seemed to be ok!

Next time I'll just use Rhubarb yoghurt in place of the sour cream, and use sour cream in place of the milk, and keep all the rest of the ingredients (to my usual 'fruit' recipe quantities) the same.

The recipe was meant to have a crumble topping on it too, but i didn't bother with that either.

In a large bowl mix together:

360g self raising flour

370g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

70g melted butter

quarter cup of sour cream

1 cup Rhubarb yoghurt

2 eggs

a few drops of vanilla extract

Stir the wet to the dry, then
Add 250g raspberries (this seemed way too many)

Divide between 12 muffin cases
Bake on Gas 5/6 (It suggested Gas 3, I figured they'd never cook at that low a temperature!)
For 20-25 mins (like I said they just wouldn't cook through, so I had to give them extra time)
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

It's been a busy weekend of baking starting with 'pink' muffins for a baby shower. The mum-to-be loves my raspberry and white chocolate ones, so it wasn't difficult. to make them more pink I just stirred the frozen raspberries a bit harder than normal to break them up before cooking. 
I love the cheesecake filling in the middle, so everyone was happy.

To make them ~

In a large bowl mix together:

300g self raising flour

150g caster sugar

In a small bowl mix together:

125g melted butter

half a cup of sour cream

quarter cup of milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Mix the wet into the dry

Stir in
120g white chocolate chunks
150g frozen raspberries (fresh will do)

Put a small dollop of mixture into the base of 12 muffin cases
Add a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture*
cover over with the remaining mixture

Bake Gas 5/6
20-25 mins 


* mix together half a tub of cream cheese with a tablespoon of sugar

Peach Melba Muffins

My Bible Week Baking Fest has begun in earnest - so this is one of the new flavours I'm experimenting with. They smell delcious, so I doubt there'll be many left to share after day one.

For a genuine Peach Melba you should serve with vanilla ice-cream; but with muffins you need to have all that gorgeousness on the inside, so I have put a creamy vanilla filing in the centre to try and get the same effect. Can't wait to taste these ones - but I suppose I should actually wait until I arrive at camp before I start taste-testing them.

In a large bowl mix 375g self raising flour with 220g castor sugar

melt 90g butter and add half a cup of sour cream, quarter cup of milk, half a teaspoon of vanilla essence and 2 large eggs. mix together

mix the wet into the dry
then add half a cup of raspberries and half a cup of chopped peaches (drained if you use tinned ones)
mix togetherin a seperate bowl mix one tablespoon of castor sugar with half a tub of cream cheese, add a few drops of vanilla essence.

place a small bit of the muffin batter in the bottom of each paper case.
plop half a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto the centre
then cover over with the remaining muffin batterbake for 20-25 mins
gas mark 5/6

I think these ones are going to turn out to be my new favourties!

Royal Wedding Muffins

It's not often that such momentous occasions arise that we get an extra bank holiday, so to honour this special day it seemed only right to celebrate by inventing a patriotic muffin, and when that means I get to put my favourite flavours together it just has to be done!
Red, white and blue = Raspberry, blueberry and white chocolate.
So before breakfast I was busy baking, this is what I did ~

mix 375g self raising flour with 220g castor sugar in a large bowl.
melt 90g butter, add half a cup of sour cream, quarter cup of milk, 2 large eggs. mix together. add the wet to the dry ingredients.
add half a cup each of raspberries, blueberries and white chocolate chips.

bake on gas 5/6 for 20 - 25 mins.
Then, while still hot, take them over to your favourite friend's house and share them for brunch to celebrate the Royal Wedding with other friends from various parts of the commonwealth - namely South Africa and Australia. They were a very patriotic bunch incidently.
This little shot is our view of proceedings in Westminster Cathedral - not a bad vantage point, eh?

Raspberry and White Chocolate

Tom's favourites, with or without the cheesecake filling. It's the same as always, mix the dry stuff together, mix the wet stuff together, then add wet to dry. put the fruit and choc chunks in last, and bake!

300g self raising flour
150g caster sugar
125g melted butter
three quarters of a cup of buttermilk (but I use half a cup of sour cream and make up the rest with milk if you can't get buttermilk)
1 large egg 120g chocolate chunks
150g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

For the optional cheesecake filling you'll need to mix half a tub of cream cheese with 1tablespoon of caster sugar.

When you put them into the paper cases, just put half the mixture in the bottom of the cases, drop half a teaspoon of cheesy cream on top, then cover over with the remaining mixture, bake as normal - Gas 5/6 for 20/25 mins