Roasted Almond & Fresh Cherry Cake and a Fond Farewell to Blogging

It is with slight trepidation and a mix of sadness and excitement that I wish to let you know that I have decided to finish blogging. I started this blog in my first year of uni, nearly 9 years ago (scary). At the time there were only a handful of food blogs around and when you mentioned to someone that you wrote a blog they looked at you blankly. It was new, exciting, secretive and a bizarre thought to think that something I wrote could be viewed by people all over the world. The world of social media and blogs had not yet fully taken off and it felt like I was joining a secret society. I never expected my little blog to have continued for as long as it has.

At the time it was something to keep me occupied between classes and gave me a reason for trying new recipes. However, I soon fell in love with it and it became part of my life. I became one of those people who spent hours reading blogs, browsing recipes, going on shopping trips specifically to find new spoons or coloured backgrounds for taking shots of food. I’d make a cake and not let anyone near it until I’d photographed it, often much to my family’s annoyance.

As time has gone on, my life has changed. I’ve graduated from uni, had 3 different jobs and lived in 3 different locations. Around the middle I was also diagnosed coeliac which at the time threatened to be the end of the blog and my love of baking. How can someone who loves cakes and baking so much suddenly be told they are not allowed to eat those things any more?! Yet it was actually blogging that got me through it. After a few weeks of crying whenever I walked near the bakery section in the supermarkets, it was experimenting with new recipes, sharing both my successes and failures and reading and learning about other gluten free ingredients and gluten free recipes/bloggers that provided me a whole new exciting food challenge and one I shall be forever grateful for.

I still love blogging and I will certainly never stop baking, but I have found over the past few months it has felt more and more like a chore than a hobby. After Christmas I started a new job which involves long hours, split shifts and working weekends. I am starting to create a new life in London and find I have less and less time for blogging. Rather than let it slowly peter out, until one day I simply never post again, I have decided to finish with a clean cut. There are now so many fabulous blogs out there that people have so much more to choose from that in order to be successful you really have to work at your blog, and I want to bake for enjoyment, rather than worry about whether the light is right for photos, or not making the same thing twice etc

I’ve had some amazing experiences, met some wonderful people, baked some delicious food and learnt so much about different cultures, ingredients and cuisines. Thank you all for reading over the years and providing such wonderful inspiration. I’ll keep reading and commenting, but for Apple & Spice it’s time to wish you all a fond farewell. Happy Baking! J

Roasted Almond & Fresh Cherry Cake

I wanted to end with a delicious cake. For me, it’s always been about the cake! This cake is a cross between a cake and the filling of a frangipane tart. It’s dense, moist and nutty as ground almonds make up most of the dry ingredients called for in the recipe. Very little flour is required meaning it was very easy to convert to being gluten free. It also only uses egg whites, rather than whole eggs which lends it a wonderfully light but slightly sticky texture.

The original recipe is from Rachel Allen and she uses pears and describes the recipe a pastryless tart rather than a cake. You can see a video of her making it here.

I adore the flavours of cherry and almonds together and as fresh English cherries are at their peak at the moment, (I even picked my own!) I decided to showcase these. I also roasted and ground my own ground almonds, which gave the cake a wonderful nutty, deeper almond flavour than using the pre-ground almonds. I also left the skin on mine which gave the cake a slightly darker speckled appearance, compared to Rachel’s pale golden affair, but I like this rustic look and it certainly enhanced the almond flavour.

The fresh glossy red cherries looked so pretty dotted into the cake and when cut into, they provided little pools of ruby juice against the golden cake. Eating a ripe, freshly picked, still warm cherry is also a wonderous thing. Really sweet and juicy with a great cherry flavour. So delicious when paired with the nutty almonds.

Roasted Almond & Fresh Cherry Cake

(Recipe adapted from Rachel Allen)

Ingredients

60g skin on almonds (or ground almonds)

90g butter, melted

90g icing sugar

30g buckwheat flour

3 egg whites

2 tsp lemon juice

Large handful of fresh cherries

20g flaked almonds

Method

Heat the oven to 200C. Line the base of a 6inch cake or tart tin with greaseproof paper and grease the sides.

Place the skin on almonds on a baking tray and roast them in the oven for 6-8 minutes until smelling lightly toasted. Leave to cool before blitzing in a small food processor to create ground almonds. It don’t need to be as fine as flour.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

Sieve the icing sugar and buckwheat flour into a clean bowl and stir in the ground almonds.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites for 30 seconds, until just frothy. They don’t need to be peaky, just slightly aerated.

Add the whisked egg whites, melted butter and lemon juice to the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula until combined and smooth.

Pour into the tart/cake tin and dot the top with the fresh cherries (you can de-stone them first, but I didn’t bother). Scatter over a few flaked almonds.

Bake in the oven at 200C for 12 minutes, before reducing the heat to 180C and baking for a further 12-15 minutes. It should be ever so slightly golden in colour, with a shiny, slightly sticky surface.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin to room temperature before serving. Warn your guests to look out for cherry stones if you’ve left them in!

Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Makes 1 x 6inch cake

Note: I’ve also made this cake with fresh plums, blueberries and nectarines

Chocolate Chip, Fig & Vanilla Yoghurt Loaf Cake

I love loaf cakes. There is something so enjoyable about their humble appearance, only to slice into them and reveal hidden chocolate chips, fruits, nuts, spices or speckles of banana.

These days I’ve noticed I often enjoy them more than cupcakes piled high with sweet icings. They are the kind of cake that fulfills that morning or afternoon treat-time craving without the guilt or immediate sugar rush/crash. Plus you get to cut as little or much as you like – there is no set amount as what equates to ‘a slice’

I often have a pot of yogurt in the fridge, but it’s usually the plain and unsweetened variety. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Last week when I was shopping I spied a large pot of sweetened vanilla yoghurt reduced to only 20p – that was too big a bargain to pass up and I snaffled it quickly. I ate a little with fruit, but as I’m used to natural unsweetened yogurt and it was just a little too sweet for me. Rather than let it go to waste I decided to bake with it and it made the perfect addition to this yogurt cake!

To compensate for the sugar already in the yogurt I simply reduced the sugar in the recipe. The sugar in question is granulated sugar rather than my usual caster sugar. I find this gives a lovely slightly crisp golden top to loaf cakes, more so than the finer caster sugar, but either would work. The yoghurt was also already flavoured with speckles of natural vanilla seeds and this lent a wonderfully sweet perfumed vanilla fragrance to the cake. The yoghurt and oil base kept it soft and tender too, while adding a bit of natural yoghurty tang. Delicious.

I had a squishy bag of dried figs to use up and I love adding dark chocolate chips to anything and so into the cake they went. This turned out to be a great combination, adding melty spots of bitter dark chocolate and chewy sweet figs against the backdrop of perfumed vanilla cake. The seeds in the fig added a slight crunch too, which was a nice addition every few bites.

I love cake with add-ins, it makes each bite that little bit different. It’s a super easy and quick cake to make too, all you need is a bowl and a spatula. No electric whisks, no creaming butter and sugar, you simply add wet to dry, stir and bake. You can use any additions you have on hand too – spices, nuts, fruits, chuck them all in and I’m sure you’ll still end up with a delicious cake.

This is the kind of cake to enjoy with a cup of tea, sat on the sofa and eaten with your fingers. No forks allowed!

Chocolate Chip, Fig & Vanilla Yoghurt Loaf Cake

Ingredients

90g buckwheat flour

50g brown rice flour

1½ tsp baking powder

70g dark chocolate chips

5 large soft dried figs

100g granulated sugar*

170g vanilla yoghurt*

80g sunflower oil

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

* if you want to use plain, unsweetened yoghurt, add 140g sugar

Method

Line the base of a cake loaf tin (approx 10x20cm) with a strip of greaseproof paper. Heat oven to 180C.

Cut the figs into small chunks with a pair of scissors. Combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, choc chips and figs together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, lightly mix together the yoghurt, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Pour the wet mix over the dry mix and fold together by hand using a spatula. A few small lumps are ok and it may look slightly split, this is fine.

Spread into the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely.

Eat within 2 days or slice and freeze for later. Then allow slices to defrost for 30 minutes at room temperature before enjoying.

Makes 1 x loaf cake

Buckwheat Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Chocolate Mousse: An Amazing Breakfast Treat

I’ve said it plenty of time before, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I’m usually pretty varied with my breakfasts, while keeping things fairly healthy. Since moving to London my breakfasts have mostly consisted of cereal and a piece of fruit that I can eat quickly before heading out to work. I’ve made myself porridge twice but it’s definitely not been up to my usual standards.

This weekend, I decided to treat myself to an extra special breakfast – pancakes! I still need to gather a wider range of ingredients for my baking cupboard, but did had an overripe banana and a few chocolate chips and a bag of buckwheat flour at my disposal, so banana chocolate chip pancakes was it was to be.

Banana is the magic ingredient here, as not only did it add natural sweetness to the pancake mix but also replaced the egg in the batter, adding moistness and binding properties. I also had the last remnants of a jar of peanut butter so in that went too, along with a pinch of mixed spice which always compliments the flavour of banana.

While the pancakes were cooking I hunted for something to serve them with and hit a snag. I had no yoghurt, jam, sauce, syrup, nutella, berries, or any more peanut butter with which to serve them. I could have eaten them on their own but I like dipping or spreading my pancakes with something – it’s part of the enjoyment of eating them. Then I saw a small glass of chocolate mousse that I’d made earlier in the week…..ohhhh chocolate mousse on warm pancake, that would work!

I assembled the pancakes, added a dollop of the dark chocolate mousse and scurried away to my room to eat them in bed. Warm pancakes with chunks of sweet banana, melty chocolate chips served with cold light and airy dark chocolate mousse is amazing! I believe that all pancakes should be served with chocolate mousse in future. The combination is fantastic! The light airy mousse was rich and silky smooth while being the perfect soft and spreadable consistency. The little bubbles dissolving in the mouth and melting into the warm pancakes. Best thing I’ve eaten all week!

I happily devoured the lot and didn’t feel the remotest bit guilty about eating chocolate mousse for breakfast. The pancakes themselves are egg-less, butter-less and sugar-less so I feel justified in being a bit more extravagant with the accompaniment. The chocolate mousse in question is also dairy free and contains only 40g sugar in the entire recipe (serves 6 and I only used half of 1) so it didn’t feel too sweet or dessert-like. In fact they are probably healthier than many sugary cereals or jam slathered slices of toast people eat for breakfast without batting an eye. Pancakes and chocolate mousse, who’d have thought?! So so good, you’ve got to try it!

The perfect bank holiday weekend breakfast. I should also mention It’s an essential requirement to eat them on a tray, in bed, while still in your PJ’s.

Buckwheat Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

4 tbsp buckwheat flour

1 tbsp dark chocolate chips

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp baking powder

1 large banana (¾ batter and ¼ to serve)

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

4-6 tbsp milk*

1 tsp oil

To Serve

Banana slices

Large scoop of chocolate mousse

OR, chocolate sauce, nutella, yogurt, peanut butter, fruit compote, maple syrup etc

Method

Heat the oven to 75C and place a plate inside to warm up.

Weigh the buckwheat flour, chocolate chips, mixed spice and baking powder into a small mixing bowl.

Slice the banana into thin slices and reserve 5-6 slices for serving. Roughly chop the remaining banana and add to the dry mix.

Add the peanut butter on top along with 4 tbsp milk. Mix to form a batter. Add more milk as required until you have a thick batter that will drop off the end of the spoon, but is not too runny.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Spoon the batter into the pan in 4 blobs to form 4 pancakes, leaving room between each one.

Allow to cool gently for 1 minute, until bubbles start to appear on the surface and the edges are just set. Flip each pancake over quickly and allow to cool for a further 30-45 seconds until lightly golden and cooked through.

Serve the pancake on the warmed plate. Top with the slices of reserved banana and extra toppings or your choice. It’s just to have something spreadable or dippy to eat them with – yoghurt, compote, mousse, cream, sauce etc.

Eat and enjoy – preferably on a tray in bed for a relaxing treat

Serves 1 – easily doubled.

*Note: Replace the milk with almond or coconut milk to make these pancakes dairy free and vegan too! Also, make sure your baking powder and buckwheat flour are gluten free, as some are not.

Gluten Free Fair Trade Marmalade Steamed Sponge with Fresh Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise (custard)

Steamed sponge puddings are my ideal dessert when the nights are chilly and drizzly or when I am simply in need of something comforting. Is there anything more nostalgic and comforting than a steaming hot sponge topped with sweet sticky jam and lashing of custard? It’s the food equivalent of a hug.

Raspberry jam or golden syrup are the classic childhood steamed sponges, but I’ve given mine a more modern twist by using Seville orange marmalade in place of the jam, while the sponge contains dark mucovado sugar, ginger and a little extra marmalade. This gives the sponge a deeper, almost burnt caramel flavour with just a hint of warming ginger which goes brilliantly with the bittersweet marmalade and prevents it being too sweet. Dousing it with a creamy fresh vanilla bean speckled crème anglaise (custard) really elevates this pud to a level almost deemed sophisticated, but you can of course serve it with the instant Birds custard (just like my mum used to) if you want full on nostalgia.

Grab yourself a spoon and a slice of steaming hot, lightly spiced sponge with its glossy sticky marmalade topping; pour over pools of creamy fragrant vanilla infused custard, snuggle into your favourite chair and enjoy!

I made this gluten free steamed marmalade sponge with crème anglaise (or custard!) for the recipe inspiration section of Wayfair. They challenged me to create a recipe using some of their amazing selection of cookery and bakery equipment to celebrate World Fair Trade Day on 9^th May. There are now lots of fair-trade products available in the shops and this one makes use of fair-trade sugar and a jar of fair-trade marmalade, just look out for the Fair Trade symbol on packs. This symbol means the farmers are paid a fair price for their products

Next week is also the start of Coeliac Awareness week (11^th – 17^th May) another event close to my heart, so it’s a fitting recipe all round.

If marmalade is not your thing, you can replace this with the jam of your choice, or even lemon curd, golden syrup, mincemeat or chunks of fresh fruit. Get creative with the spices and flavours too by adding cinnamon, cocoa powder, chocolate chips or lemon zest to make it your own.

You can see the full recipe here.

No Bake Lemon & Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake Shots

I’m still here! I can’t believe I haven’t posted for over 3 weeks. I don’t know where the days have gone. The reason for my absence is I’ve started a great new job in London! Getting to grips with the new job and commuting back and forth has sort of taken over my life lately, but I love it. Incidentally if anyone knows of a friend with a spare room to rent in London please email – I’m desperate to move closer. At the moment I’m spending up to 4 hours a day just commuting, which is no fun. I’ve not yet had time to explore London and all its fabulous foodie places but I’m sure a few will start to appear in the next few months.

Anyway, back to something tasty and more food related. These little lemon and blueberry creamy ricotta desserts are the result of buying a little punnet of blueberries in the reduced section and needing to do something with them. They were a little on the squishy side and so turning them into a compote seemed the best solution. I love the deep dark purple colour and found this really intensified the blueberry flavour too.

I liked the idea of using the blueberry compote on top of cheesecake, only problem was, at the time my house was a cheesecake free zone and I didn’t have time to bake one. Instead I combined a tub of ricotta with some cream cheese and a bit of lemon. Spooned this into glasses and topped it with the compote to make a very light and fresh tasting cheesecake-style shot.

You could also add a biscuit base of the glasses first if you like, but I chose instead to serve it with some little biscuits for dunking and scooping. I made these by cutting out circles from some leftover pastry I had from baking this meringue pie recently. What was essentially a dessert of leftovers turned out to be very tasty treat.

The ricotta made the ‘cheesecake’ part lighter and more softly set than if I’d used all cream cheese. This made it more spoonable and scoopable and resulted in a nice light dessert. Sometimes cheesecake can be a bit rich after a big meal but these were perfect.

I always like the combination of blueberry and lemon together, it’s so fresh and summery. I purposely made these not that sweet too, allowing the fruity blueberries and the zing from the lemon to shine through.

No Bake Lemon & Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake Shots

Blueberry Compote

150g blueberries

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp cornflour

Lemon Ricotta Base

250g ricotta cheese

150g cream cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ lemon

2-3 tbsp icing sugar

To Serve

Gluten free biscuits or pastry rounds

Method

Start by making the blueberry compote. Zest the lemon and set it aside to use in the cheesecake base later.

Place the blueberries, lemon juice, water and honey into a small pan. Heat gently until the blueberries have started to soften, pop and release all their juices. Simmer for a few minutes until the fruit is broken down.

Mix the cornflour in a small bowl with a few drops of water until dissolved. Stir half of this into the blueberry mixture and simmer for 30 seconds. If it still seems a little runny, add a little more of the cornflour mix. It will thicken on cooling so you want it to stay softly set, it should be slightly thickened but not jam-like.

Set aside to cool.

To make the ricotta layer. Using a spatula, beat together the ricotta and cream cheese until well combined (the ricotta will mean it won’t go completely smooth). Add the lemon zest and icing sugar and beat to combine. Add some of the lemon juice, mix well and taste. Add more lemon or sugar depending on your preference. Don’t add too much lemon juice or it may go too sloppy.

Divide the mixture between 6 small pretty glasses. Place in the fridge to firm up for at least an hour before spooning over the blueberry compote. If you have time, chill again for another hour.

These can be made the day before. Serve with tiny spoons and little biscuits for scooping.

Makes 6 small glasses

Raspberry Meringue Pie with Lime & Pistachio Pastry

Growing up my mums lemon meringue pie was one of my favourite Sunday treats. I’ve not eaten one for several years, so when I recently saw a recipe for raspberry meringue pie I had feelings of both nostalgia and excitement over childhood favourite with a new twist. I’d heard of lime or orange meringue pie, even a chocolate meringue pie, but never a raspberry meringue pie. It looked too delicious to pass up.

This pie is extra special as not only is it filled with a zingy raspberry curd, but it’s also spiked with lime for an extra fresh kick. The pastry contains lime, pistachios and brown sugar for a really unique and delicious meringue pie pastry twist. It smelt unimaginably amazing when it was baking.

Instead of raspberries, you could try using other fruits, blackcurrants, cherries or mixed forest fruits, but I think raspberries are the fruit of choice for a truly spectacular magenta coloured curd filling. The contrast of the vibrant raspberry against the puffy pale meringue topping is stunning. It gives much more of a wow factor than a lemon meringue pie.

This pie tastes delicious eaten when still warm from the oven, which is how we served it initially, but I wouldn’t recommend this if you are going for dainty elegant presentation. When hot, the curd is melted, oozy and gooey, meaning it pools out of the tart when cut. Not exactly photo worthy. However, leave it to cool, or even better, chill for a few hours in the fridge and you get a perfectly behaved and sliceable pie, with all the layers staying distinct. I think this gives a much better impression, see below.

Warm and oozy

Chilled and elegant

Leaving the pie to chill also allows the flavours to develop. The lime and raspberry mingle together well and the subtle nuttiness of the pistachio pastry is more noticeable. I also love the texture when it’s been chilled. The meringue maintains the crisp top sugary shell with airy mallowy meringue below which just dissolves on your tongue. By contrast the curd is thick, smooth and softly set and the base crisp and nicely crumbly. A wonderful mix of textures and flavours.

The raspberry filling is quite tangy, the freshness from the raspberry really being the star of the show. This is emphasised by the subtle zing of lime in the filling and pastry. This was delicious against the sweetness of the meringue top, and really kept the fresh raspberry flavour (despite using frozen berries!)

If you are looking for a real show stopper of a dessert I couldn’t recommend this pie enough. My sister and I made this for our mum for Mothers Day last weekend, and it was the perfect pretty-in-pink dessert. I love how you can use frozen berries in winter and fresh berries in summer. It would rival any summer pudding at a BBQ and would make a great non-chocolaty Easter dessert.

The recipe below makes enough filling and meringue for one deep 8inch tart, but you will have some pastry leftover – this tastes delicious cut into rounds and baked as mini biscuits to serve with a mousse or just to munch on. The pistachio and lime making them much more flavoursome than regular pastry. It’s quite time consuming to make, but definitely worth the effort.

Raspberry Meringue Pie with Lime & Pistachio Pastry

(Slightly altered from Gluten Free Alchemist blog)

Lime Pistachio Pastry 

40g pistachio nuts

80g rice flour

60g cornflour

50g buckwheat flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

Zest of 1 lime (save the juice for the filling)

50g light soft brown sugar

110g cold butter

1 egg

1 tbsp cold water

Method

Have to hand a deep 8inch/20cm tart tin with a loose base and set to one side.

Grind the pistachio nuts so they resemble fine crumbs, then mix in a large bowl along with the flours, xanthan gum, salt, lime zest and sugar.

Chop the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour mix using the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Lightly beat the egg with the water and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix with a flat butter knife until it begins to come together as a dough. It may look a little dry at first, but don’t add any more water just yet.

When large clumps begin to form, switch to your hands and bring the mixture together to form a dough, kneading gently. Add a few drops more water if it’s too crumbly.

Lay a large sheet of clingfilm over the work surface and place the pastry on top. Cover with another large sheet of clingfilm before rolling out the dough until 2-3mm thick. Lift up and reposition the top layer of clingfilm to help you as you roll.

Remove the top layer of clingfilm and lift the pastry up with the base layer of clingfilm still in place to support it. Flip the pastry into the tart tin and press into the edges before peeling away the clingfilm. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and place into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Wrap any leftover pastry in clingfilm and store in the fridge for use later (delicious baked as mini biscuits).

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C.

Dock the base of the pastry with a fork and line with baking paper or clingfilm and fill with baking beans. 

Blind bake the pastry for 10-12 minutes before removing the beans and baking for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Switch off the oven.

Raspberry Filling

350g fresh or frozen raspberries

Juice of 1 lime

40g caster sugar

20g cornflour

2 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

25g butter

Method

Thaw the raspberries if frozen, then puree with the lime juice in a liquidizer. Pour into a sieve set over a bowl and press with the back of a spoon to sieve out the seeds. (This takes a while). Discard the seeds. 

Combine the raspberry puree with the sugar in a saucepan.

Mix the cornflour with a little water in a small bowl to make a paste and then stir this into the raspberry mix.

Heat gently, stirring continually until the mixture comes to a simmer. Continue to stir over a low heat for 1-3 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. 

Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, before cubing and whisking in the butter.

Spoon the filling into the pastry case and smooth the surface. Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow the filling to set.

Meringue Topping

2 egg whites                

100g caster sugar

Method

When the raspberry curd is chilled, preheat the oven to 180C and place a flat baking tray in the oven to heat up.

In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until the meringue forms stiff glossy peaks. 

Spoon mounds of meringue over the chilled raspberry tart filling making sure it reaches the edges of the pastry to seal it.

Carefully remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place the tart onto it. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the middle of the oven until the meringue surface is lightly golden and crisp, underneath should still be soft and mallowy. The curd will be melted and gooey when hot, so don’t use this as a baking indicator of doneness.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes before carefully removing from the tin.

Best served chilled for ease of slicing, although also tastes delicious warm – the filling will ooze out if eaten warm.

Makes 1 x 8inch tart

Big Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

I’ve never had much success baking muffins. Everyone has that one recipe they just can’t quite master, their Achilles heel if you will. Muffins are mine. Most of my previous muffin attempts either turn out like cupcakes – tasty but not what’s called for, or else dense and dry. After much research and a few not-so-good recipes, I believe I may have finally mastered muffins. Behold the blueberry muffins of delight!

These muffins are light, soft, airy, tender, sweet, blueberry-packed and streusel topped. They have the classic ‘muffin top’ of crisp outer edge that has spilled over the rim of the paper case and a gently doming top. They are not cakey or bready, they are muffins!

I must give thanks to this recipe, which set me on the path to muffin mastery. I used this as my base, adapting it to be gluten free, experimenting with different flours and percentages and types of milk. I incorporated buttermilk for its moist and tender crumb giving properties, replaced lemon juice with fresh vanilla and cut half the blueberries in half for a more even distribution and enhanced juicy purple pockets.

For the streusel topping I added oats and just a hint of cinnamon for a wholesome, slightly nutty crust.

These muffins were amazing. Perfectly soft and tender and I loved the perfumed floral flavour and fragrance that came from using the fresh vanilla. It worked so well with the sweet and jammy blueberries and slight tang from the buttermilk. Inside they had that classic muffin-esque soft open crumb texture.

The streusel topping was slightly fragile and crumbly, but this just means you have little nuggets of oaty crumbs to mop up with your finger after finishing the muffin, as an extra little treat.

I can’t wait to try this recipe out with other flavours, chocolate chip or banana walnut. Hopefully I’ve reached the end of my muffin misfortunes.

Big Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Ingredients

150g fresh blueberries, half chopped

150g rice flour

25g cornflour

15g tapioca starch

½ tsp xanthan gum

150g caster sugar

2 tsp baking powder

75ml sunflower oil

1 fresh vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

100ml buttermilk

25ml milk

1 egg

Streusel topping

50g light soft brown sugar

40g rice flour

50g cold butter, cubed

¼ tsp cinnamon

20g gluten free oats

Method

Start by making the streusel topping by combining all streusel ingredients in a bowl and rubbing the mixture together using the tips of your fingers until the butter is broken down into tiny pieces and everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners.

Cut half the blueberries in half and leave the rest whole, set aside.

In a large bowl add the rice flour, cornflour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, sugar and baking powder together and mix until well combined. Gently stir through the whole and chopped blueberries.

In a large jug, measure out the oil, buttermilk and milk. Slice open the vanilla bean and remove the seeds. Add to the milk mix along with the egg and beat to lightly combine.

Pour half of the milk mix over the dry ingredients and gently fold together using a spatula. Once mostly incorporated, add the rest of the milk mix and fold together until only just incorporated. Do not over mix, a few lumps are fine.

Spoon the muffin mix into the paper cases, filling almost to the rim. Sprinkle a generous amount of the streusel topping over each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes until risen and lightly golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and leave the muffins to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Eat within 2 days

Makes 9 large muffins