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:
- Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a muffin tray.
- 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.
- In a separate bowl, add the oil, yogurt, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix until just combined, but still slightly lumpy.
- Gently fold the chopped seedless grapes into the wet mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tray.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes at 190°C, or until golden brown on top.
- 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:
- 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.
- Take a large bowl, and whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, the two sugars, butter, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Gently fold in the optional walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips.
- 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.
- Sprinkle each muffin with a generous amount of coarse sugar for a crunchy, shiny topping.
- 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.
- 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:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the lemon juice, mix, and set aside.
- Take a medium bowl, and cream the unsalted butter with the granulated sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and lemon extract to the butter mixture and continue creaming until the mixture is pale in color.
- 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.
- Gently fold in the fresh blueberries and lemon zest.
- Fill the muffin liners to the top with the muffin batter. Top with additional blueberries and sanding sugar.
- 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.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.