Recipes: Blueberry Muffins and Pound Cake

Last Father’s Day weekend, I finally got down to using my two packets of blueberries, which I’ve kept frozen for the longest time! :x With blueberries being on sale at the supermarkets recently, the people in this baking group I’ve joined on Facebook kept posting pictures of their blueberry bakes, so I guess I got a little inspired to bake some of my own. I’m still in search of a recipe that will give me blueberry muffins that tastes like the ones from Delifrance though. I love their blueberry muffins!

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

120g butter, melted (I used unsalted butter, and added ¼ tsp of salt to the dry ingredients)

150g castor sugar (I reduced the sugar to 120g because I added the Demerara sugar)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

150g sour cream

250g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them) (use 1 tbsp of the plain flour from the 250g to mix with your blueberries first)

½ cup Demerara sugar (optional)

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 180^oC. Then line your muffin tray or prepare your muffin holders (this recipe yields about 12 muffins).
• Mix the butter, sugar, eggs and sour cream in one bowl (wet mixture).
• In another, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda (dry mixture).
• Fold in the dry mixture with your wet mixture in 3 batches to prevent over-mixing. Once done, fold in your blueberries and flour mixture. Remember not to over-mix, just fold until everything is just incorporated.
• Fill your prepared muffin tray/holders until just ¾ full, and then sprinkle some Demerara sugar on the top for that slight crunch.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centre of your muffins come out clean.

So that was Saturday’s baking. On Sunday, I made Pound Cake. Now I love pound cakes, if not for the fact that they are so fattening (Butter! Sugar!), I would eat them all day long. This recipe I got from my all-time favourite www.joyofbaking.com

Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 large eggs

3 tbsp milk

1½ tsp vanilla extract

150g sifted cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

150g granulated white sugar

185g unsalted butter

Directions

• Preheat your oven to about 177^oC. Butter and line with parchment paper a loaf pan (23cm x 13cm x 8cm).
• Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract (wet mixture).
• In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until all the ingredients are blended together (dry mixture).
• Add the butter and half of the wet mixture, then mix on low speed until the dry mixture is moistened. Increase the mixer's speed to medium and beat for another minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure (very important step!). Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
• Gradually add in the remaining wet mixture in two separate additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition.
• Pour into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55-65 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the cake starts browning too much, you can cover it with a buttered aluminium foil.