The perfect cake flour banana muffins and more fruity muffins

Got a bunch of cake flour up your sleeve and don’t wish to bake a huge cake? Then try this assortment of muffins that feature fresh fruits from grapes, blueberries, and bananas. With a proper measuring cup and proper equipment, you’ll have in your hands perfectly baked cake flour banana muffins, and more which, unlike tough muffins, will have a more tender crumb, courtesy of the cake flour used, with a low gluten content.

1. Grape Muffins

Ingredients:

• 210 gm cake flour
• 120 gm whole wheat flour
• 100 gm castor sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 120 ml vegetable oil or melted butter
• 356 gm Greek yogurt
• 45 ml fresh milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 245 gm seedless grapes, roughly chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a muffin tray.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour and whole wheat flour. Combine the flour mixture with the sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, add the oil, yogurt, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix until just combined, but still slightly lumpy.
4. Gently fold the chopped seedless grapes into the wet mixture.
5. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tray.
6. Bake for 20-23 minutes at 190°C, or until golden brown on top.
7. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

2. Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

• 205 gm cake flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, optional
• 350 gm overripe bananas, mashed (about 3 large bananas)
• 100 gm granulated sugar
• 50 gm light brown sugar
• 30 gm unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: 75 gm walnut halves or pecans, toasted and chopped, or 170 gm chocolate chips
• Coarse sugar for garnish, optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C and position an oven rack in the middle or upper middle position. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Take a large bowl, and whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In another bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, the two sugars, butter, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Gently fold in the optional walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tin cups, filling each 3/4 full for large muffins. You can also make about 15 smaller muffins by filling the cavities of two pans just 2/3 full.
6. Sprinkle each muffin with a generous amount of coarse sugar for a crunchy, shiny topping.
7. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 14 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the muffin pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
8. Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.

3. Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 280 gm unsalted butter
• 370 gm granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 570 gm cake flour
• 30 gm baking powder
• ¾ tsp gm salt
• 280 ml buttermilk
• 30 gm lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
• 60 ml lemon juice
• 45 gm sanding sugar (optional for sprinkling on top)
• 225 gm fresh blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the lemon juice, mix, and set aside.
3. Take a medium bowl, and cream the unsalted butter with the granulated sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and lemon extract to the butter mixture and continue creaming until the mixture is pale in color.
5. While mixing on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat two more times until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
6. Gently fold in the fresh blueberries and lemon zest.
7. Fill the muffin liners to the top with the muffin batter. Top with additional blueberries and sanding sugar.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to slightly brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
9. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.