Sugar Crust Blueberry Muffins

But listen to me: for one moment, quit being sad. Hear blessings drop their blossoms around you.

- Jalaluddin Rumi

This is a very apt quote from my new book 'A Treasury of Rumi', which seems particularly poignant during this unprecedented time. But I'm counting my blessings now more than ever and اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ‎ I have an abundance of reasons to be grateful. I've been taking this time off to resurrect my love of reading and make a sizable dent in my ever-growing tbr list. It's kinda working and kinda not, I've started five different books (finished one) and succumbed to a few online book hauls. But I do have a newfound interest in reading poetry and history, which is so unlike me considering fantasy fiction is my all-time favourite genre. 

It's also currently Ramadan and this time off has been perfect to spiritually recharge, refocus on what's important and spend time with family.

We've had some glorious weather, the fruit trees have blossomed beautifully and I've been basking in the sunshine like a tortoise.

I've also been writing more and baking more than I have in quite a while. And speaking of writing and baking, if lockdown can't force me to get around to writing up a blog post then nothing can! 

But worry not because these incredible blueberry muffins have got me raring to go. I made them yesterday afternoon and we had them as a post-Iftar treat with tea.

I love this recipe because it is incredibly easy and yields the most delicious muffins; soft tender crumb, studded with blueberries, and with a crunchy sugar crown. 

So to make these Sugar Crust Blueberry Muffins begin by beating together 200g of granulated sugar and 115g of margarine (or softened butter) until light and fluffy. Add two eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Then add 240g of plain flour, 2tsp baking powder, and 1/2tsp salt. In addition to 120ml of milk and 1tsp vanilla extract and beat until combined. Finally, stir in 200g of fresh blueberries (or an equal quantity of frozen blueberries - do not thaw)

Spoon the mixture into muffin cases and add extra blueberries to the muffins that have less. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top and bake in a preheated oven at Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Leave in the pan to cool slightly before transfer to a wire rack. 

😋

Enjoy!
Q x

Chocolate Chip & Orange Cake

I have officially succumbed to my winter state (even though its still autumn) as we saw the first frost this morning and I also feel perpetually cold and so we bid adieu to all things summery and welcome in the knitwear and cosy baking season. I will say however I think its a little early to be putting up the fairy lights and Christmas tree, no joke but I know of more than a handful of people who have done so and that's not including the high-street shops, but I guess I excuse the rampant consumerism and excessive commercialisation of festivals because its adds to the fun.

Speaking of celebrations, remember remember the 5th of November, one of my favourite nights of the year. We had a big firework display in the garden and lots of people came round, there was a mini bonfire and popcorn, chips and pakoras oh and sparklers and cold noses and hot chocolate. The firework 'competition' with the neighbours and the noisy night and smog filled morning that follows - the usual traditions.

Unfortunately I didn't get round to baking anything, but if I had it would have been this chocolate and orange cake because what goes better with hot chocolate than a slab of warm, chocolaty, citrusy cake. This cake recipe is actually a spin of my usual lemon drizzle loaf which means its super fluffy and light but this time its loaded with chocolate chips and a subtle orange flavour. 

So to make this Chocolate Chip & Orange Cake you'll need the following ingredients:

- Butter or margarine
- Caster sugar
- Self raising flour
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Milk
- Oranges
- Chocolate

Begin by creaming together 113g of butter/margarine and 113g of caster sugar until light and fluffy. Note that these amounts are suitable for a loaf cake, double up the recipe for a larger cake. 

Add in 2 eggs beating well after each addition, then grate the zest of one large orange and add this to the mixture.

Juice the same orange and stir this into the batter, in a pinch this can be substituted for pre-bought pure orange juice. 

Next sift in 138g of self raising flour and 1 tsp of baking powder along with 1 and 1/2 tblsp of milk. If wishing to omit the milk then just substitute for additional orange juice. 

Chop up a generous amount of chocolate (about 60g), if wanting more even sized chunks then opt for chocolate chips. Stir this into the cake batter but set some aside.

Spoon the batter into a lined loaf tin and top with the remaining chocolate chunks.
Place this into an oven preheated to Gas Mark 4 and bake for until golden brown and springy to the touch.

Once it comes out of the oven drizzle the top with some freshly squeezed orange juice and allow this to soak into the cake. 

 Serve with hot chocolate, orange slices and a good TV show (by the way, was anyone else disappointed with the GB Bake Off finale? I found it incredibly boring and that's not because I already knew who the winner was - thanks Prue!)

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x  

Lemon Drizzle Loaf

I’m excited because I’m finally back at it, by ‘it’ I mean writing {p.s. apologies for being awol, it was unintentional but life got in the way and I was also procrastinating a little bit, oops}. 

This past weekend the weather was glorious but I still wanted to bake something, resulting in the difficult decision of deciding on whether cake was worth the hassle of turning on the oven – the cake won obviously. But in a bid to justify myself I did opt for a summery flavour; lemon. For me lemons just embody the essence of good weather, maybe because they’re yellow or perhaps I associate lemonade with summer or it could even just be the fresh, zingy flavour – either way I think I made the right choice because I get to end my day with a cuppa and some cake.

I have made this particular version of lemon cake a lot, its my go-to and it comes out great every time, I also like the fact that its super easy and the mixture can be whipped up in no time because the ingredients are always to hand.

So to make my lemon drizzle loaf you will need:

1.   Margarine/butter

2.   Caster sugar

3.   Eggs

4.   Self-raising flour

5.   Baking powder

6.   Lemons

7.   Milk

To start with, beat together 225g of margarine and 225g of caster sugar until light, pale in colour and fluffy - this is enough for one traybake or two loaves so if you want just one then halve all measurements accordingly (also, debut appearance of my new Kitchen Aid, I love it so much).  

Add in four eggs, beating well after each addition - at this point you can add in the zest of one lemon and a generous dash of lemon juice.

In the last step, sift in 275g of self raising flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder alternating with 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix well until a smooth consistency of batter is achieved.

All that's left to do is spoon the mixture into greaseproof paper lined loaf tins and top with a sprinkle of demerara sugar. Place the tins into an oven preheated to Gas Mark 4 and bake until golden brown (around 30 mins but keep an eye on it as timings may vary).

Nearing the end of the baking time prepare the lemon drizzle, this is just a simple syrup consisting of demerara sugar and fresh lemon juice - I never measure the ratios of the two ingredients but just alter as I see fit. Personally I don't like a lot of drizzle as it creates more of a 'wet' layer on the cake so I add in less lemon juice.
As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven prick it all over with a skewer and pour on the syrup, then let it cool in the tin.

Slice up and serve with a side of sunshine (side note: still tastes great even when its raining, this I can attest to).

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x