Muffins

Chocolate muffins

Ingredients:

300g / 2 3/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

10 ml / 2 tsp baking powder

150g / 3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar

a pinch of salt

250 ml / 1 cup milk

120 ml/ 1/2 cup sunflower oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

5 ml/ 1 tsp vanilla essence (extract) (optional)

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5/fan oven 170 C for at least 5 minutes. 

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cases (cupcake papers), or simply place the cases on a baking tray.

Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and stir them together.

Mix together the milk, oil, egg and vanilla essence in a separate bowl or a jug

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together briefly; the mixture should still look lumpy with a few specks of dry flour showing.

Divide between the muffin cases and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until risen and golden

 Cool in the muffin tin or on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Serve warm or cool.

Variations

Double chocolate muffins:

Swap 30 ml/45 tbsp of cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder for the same amount of flour and stir 100g/ 1 cup of white, milk or plain chocolate chips into the dry ingredients.

Cappuccino muffins:

Substitute 30 ml/45 tbsp of cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder for the same amount of flour. Blend 15 ml/ 1 tbsp of coffee powder/granules with 15 ml/1 tbsp of hot water and stir into the wet ingredients. Serve the muffins with a dusting of drinking chocolate (sweetened chocolate) powder and with whipped cream, if liked.

Mixed berry muffins:

Add 100g each of fresh or frozen raspberries and blueberries to wet ingredients.

Fruity muffins:

Stir in 75g/ 1/2 cup of chopped dried fruit such as pears or apricots, raisins or sultanas (golden raisins). Add 5 ml/ 1 tsp of ground cinnamon o mixed spices as well.

Student Food in Colour by Catherine Atkinson, 2007

Carrot Cake ala Anita Maft

Carrot cake is one of traditional british cake served in any occasions. I had brought these to a picnic at Southampton Common and an Islamic study amongst Indonesian society and they loved them!
Thanks to Joanna, who was a chef before she works at halls of residence where I work as well,  and gave me this fabulous recipe. This is an easy peasy recipe, you'll find that you won't fail in every single shot. This cake is gloriously moist and a healthy snack for kids and the rest of family.

 Equipments:

2x23cm loose-bottomed cake tins (or any cake tins you have)

A mixing bowl

A spatula

A hand-whisk/mixer

Ingredients:

300 ml sunflower oil (I'd prefer to use butter, melted)

225 180 g soft brown sugar

4 eggs

175 g golden syrup (you may swap with honey or any kind of liquid sugar) 

350 g self-raising flour, sifted

2 1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp crushed cloves ( I never use this)

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225 g carrots, coarsely grated

55 g desiccated coconut

55 g raisins

1 tbsp chopped walnut (if you like it)

As you seen, I have reduced some of ingredients according to my taste. You can add other dried fruit, like sultanas, and you'll get a scrumptious one.

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.

Butter and flour the cake tins.

Blend the oil/melted butter, sugar, eggs, and golden syrup in a large bowl.

Then beat in flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda.

Fold in the carrots, raisins, coconut and walnuts.

Divide the mixture between tins, level the tops and bake in the oven for 35-40 minute, until a fine skewer plunged into the centre comes out clean. (It take up to 60 minute if you use loaf tins)

Leave the cooked cakes to rest in the tins for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Well, this time I baked without raisins and walnut as my kids don't like them.