Carrot Muffins Recipe

This recipe is based on a recipe from "Joy of Baking" who gives the best muffin baking advice.

They write that the pitfall with all muffin batters is in over mixing the batter and ending up with a tough muffin.

Only mix the batter until the ingredients are combined and moistened. (A few flecks of flour are fine.)

To make the job easier, plus to give the baked muffins a nice doomed shape, use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to fill the muffin cups.

If you want standard sized muffins, only fill the muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. However, if you like your muffins with a crown, fill the cups to the top. Just make sure to grease the top of the muffin pan so that as the batter overflows it does not stick to the top of the pan.

Fill any unfilled muffin cups with a little water to ensure even baking as well as preventing the pan from warping.



Recipe:

1/2 cup (50 grams) pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 cups (270 grams) grated raw carrot (about 2-3 peeled carrots)

1 large apple, peeled and grated

2 cups (280 grams) Wholemeal flour

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) white or brown (not carmlized) sugar

3/4 teaspoon bicarb (baking soda)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon (3.5 grams) salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (180 ml) safflower or canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


The muffins do not need a frosting, but if you have a sweet tooth you can use the following topping:


Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 ounces (1/2 cup) (110 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

----------

METHOD



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
Prepare muffin pans by placing paper liners in 18 muffin cups.
"Spray-n-cook" the lot if you have aerosol cooking oil avalible.

Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.
Do not overcook.
Let cool and then chop coarsely.

Peel and finely grate the carrots and apple. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir in the nuts and coconut. Set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients, along with the grated carrot and apple, into the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

After about 10 minutes remove the muffins from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Makes 18 standard-sized muffins.

This muffin was based on a similar recipe from JoyOfBaking: http://www.joyofbaking.com/CarrotMuffins.html#ixzz0Hls3dx9x&C

get more recipes here:
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/CarrotMuffins.html#ixzz0HlsgaBG0&C

My other blog:
http://grannyrosa.iblog.co.za/

Easter Recipes

Click to view:

EASTER COOKING
(more links)

HOT CROSS BUNS
(more links)

(Recipe adapted from Cook and Enjoy)

Economical fruitcake

• 2¼ c flour

• ¾ c brown sugar

• ¼ c butter or margarine

• 2 eggs

• ½ c golden syrup or molasses

• ½ t bicarbonate of soda

• ¼ t salt

• 1t mixed spice

• 1t ground cinnamon

• ¼ c brandy

• ¼ c raisins

• ¼ c currants

• ½ c candied orange peel

• ¼ c almonds

METHOD

• 1. See recipes for Christmas Fruit Cake for preparation of fruit and cake tin.

• 2. Beat the butter, adding the sugar gradually. Beat till creamy.

• 3. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

• 4. Add the syrup and mix thoroughly.

• 5. Sift together all the dry ingredients and fold it into the mixture.

• 6. Add the prepared fruit and the brandy and lastly the nuts.

• 7. Turn the mixture into a greased cake tin, lined with 3 layers of greased paper, and tie on a cover made of 2 layers of paper.

• 8. Bake in a slow oven at 150 ° C (300 ° F) for 3 hours.

This cake may be steamed for 2 hours and then baked for I hour. (See recipes on steamed puddings.)

South African Recipe:

Teaspoon measure (t) = 5 ml

Cup Measure (c) = 250 ml

Tablespoon (T) = 12,5 ml

Light Christmas Fruit-cake (level beginners)

This year I baked the same light fruit cake for Christmas as I did last year.
After looking through many of my cook books, I settled for "old favourite" from "Cook and Enjoy."
The only difference was that I baked it in two loaf tins so that I have one small cake for Christmas and one for my husband's birthday a month later.

I added all the weight of fruit, cherries and peel together and made up my own mixture of glacè- and dried-fruit and cherries.
All except the preserved ginger which I ate before the baking day. I loooooove ginger.

My husband normally buy's the fruit mixture. I just give him the amount and tell him buy whatever he wants in the cake. It is then his job to feed the cake some brandy every now and then, after it has been baked, while it is waiting in the cake tins to mature.

I soak the fruit in brandy the night before and use some of the flour and just sprinkle it over the fruit before adding it to the flour mixture. The reason for coating the fruit is to spread it evenly throughout the cake when it bakes and not all go to the bottom. The flour coating "marries" the fruit with the dough before it is mixed.

Light Christmas fruit cake

• 250 gram butter

• 250 gram castor sugar

• 6 eggs (or 4 extra large)

• 3 cups flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 500 g mixed fruit (chopped sultanas, candied peel, seeded raisins, currants)

• 250 gram candied cherries, cut into halves

• 55 g (2 oz.) chopped nuts

• 1 teaspoon lemon essence

• (45ml - 60ml) brandy

METHOD

• 1. Cream the butter and gradually add sugar. Beat until light.

• 2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

• 3. Add the prepared fruit, cherries and nuts. Mix well.

• 4. Sift together the dry ingredients and fold in.

• 5. Lastly add flavouring and brandy and blend well.

• 6. Turn the batter into a cake tin lined with aluminium foil or a few layers of buttered brown paper.

• 7. Bake in a moderately cool oven at 150 °C (300 °F) for 2-2 1/2 hours.

My variations
Before I start I turn the oven on and prepare my cake tins.
Clean the kitchen and prepare my work surface.

People living in small flats may even use the ironing board with plastic over it for more work space.
Next I find and weigh or measure all the ingredients

I did not have castor sugar so I added normal sugar to the blender and blended it into caster sugar.
Then I added the butter and mixed it until it resembled cream.

Then I transferred it to the mixer and added the eggs one at a time.
I sifted the dry ingredients and coated the fruit with some of the dry ingredients first.

It was less messy to add the other ingredients to the soaking fruit so I first added the wet ingredients and then the dry ingredients.

I mixed it carefully aiming not to break the trapped air caught up by the mixing and the sifting process. ( using a metal spoon rather than a blunt spoon.)

Granny Rosa's BANANA BREADS

Granny Rosa's Banana breads

(which is CHRISTINE'S BANANA BREAD with slight modifications)

I am not a good cook. I am a good recipe collector. When I post a recipe that I cooked myself, then you can write it down as flop proof, because if it can flop – I will flop it.

The recipe was modified a bit because I had very big bananas and extra large eggs.

I also wanted to see how the recipe bakes in a ring-from tin.

• 150-ml/100 gr. Butter

• 300 ml Sugar

• 3 Eggs (extra large)

• 1 Tablespoon (20 ml) olive oil

• 900 ml Flour

• 20 ml Baking Powder

• 2 ml Bicarbonate soda

• 2 ml Salt

• 2 cups (500 ml) Mashed Banana (6 large Bananas)

• 10 ml Vanilla Essence

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 200 (Turn it down to 180 C immediately prior to putting the cakes into the oven. This allows for loss of heat while the oven is being loaded.)
• Prepare two medium sized baking pans
  

• Cream butter & sugar & Beat in the eggs one at a time. Until it looks like cream. (I used an electric beater - (easy peasy) - but hubby will do if he is around.)

• Stir in the vanilla and mashed banana until just mixed.

• Transfer it to a large enough bowl if necessary and sift in the dry ingredients, (a little bit at a time, stirring until it is smooth every time.)

Do not over do the stirring at this time. The air trapped by the creaming and sifting process needs to be trapped in the dough mixture. It is the air that makes it rise.

Personally, I like my crust to have a crack on top. It looks more artistic and it looks as if it is bursting of flavor. A cracked top will not win any prizes at the show, however.

• Pour the mixture into the pans and place them onto the middle oven-shelf.

• Bake for 1 hour in a medium oven @ 180 C.

• Turn out of the tin onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

The bread is at its best after third day.

( I use a plastic (office tray) instead of a wire rack. It works fantastic, and it does not rust.