I
didn’t exactly make a conscious decision to take the summer off the blog, it just kind of happened that
way. One week ran into the next and, with the weather being so nice, the kids
and I spent most of it outdoors so the last thing I wanted to do was to start
baking. Honestly, I don’t know how people manage in really hot countries (obviously,
I do know they acclimatise) but I decided to make the most of the glorious
summer we’ve had as the last really good summer I can remember was 1995!
The
other thing is that when I started this second blog, I went about it totally
the wrong way. With the first blog, I used to leaf through the cookbook and
think through the recipes as to which one would be next. I came to the
realisation though that I have to approach each recipe as they come in the
cookbook so I decided to start on the first recipe but I didn’t have a Bundt
tin so I went on to the next recipe which was Lemon poppy-seed muffins and here’s how it went…
I
had two large bowls. In the first one, I mixed flour, baking powder, poppy
seeds, caster sugar and a pinch of salt. In the second one, I mixed all the wet
ingredients which were eggs, milk, oil, zest of a lemon and vanilla extract. I
had to add 215ml of milk which is very precise so what I did was measure
exactly 200ml of milk in a jug and then I used a tablespoon of milk which
equates to 15ml. The recipe said to use vegetable oil and I actually used
rapeseed oil – Donegal Rapeseed Oil to be precise. I use rapeseed all the time now so it’s either the
Donegal version or the Broighter Gold brand which I use – both of which I get
at Harry’s food market in Bridgend.
Anyway,
back to the recipe and I mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and
then divided the mixture into the muffin trays before popping them into the
oven for 25 minutes. I have become so familiar with my oven over the past
number of years that I know that if I need to set it to 180°fan oven then I actually
have to set it to 165 on the dial. My oven is actually on its last legs and I’ve
been waiting for the past few months for it to finally pack in. It has earned
its keep though but I already have a mental shortlist of dream cookers that I
would like to replace it with so if you have any suggestions, they are most welcome!
Once
the muffins were ready, I just checked them with a cocktail stick and let them
cool for 5 minutes in their tin before placing them on a wire rack. For the
icing, I simply mixed icing sugar and lemon juice. The last thing I did was to
drizzle the icing over the muffins and sprinkle poppy seeds over them.
The
verdict…
Well,
yes, they were extremely yummy and I’ll definitely make them again. Dear Son
actually found them ‘too sweet, mummy’ whereas Baby Daughter swiped a second
one off the plate and sprinted down the hall after I took a pic of it. Dear
Husband’s verdict was that they were nice than he thought they were going to be
(!) and had two of course. I would tend to agree with Dear Son that I found
them just a little bit too sweet so one was enough for me and that was probably
my sugar intake for the day. The ironic thing is that I almost forgot to put
the sugar in the bowl – some muffins they would have turned out to be! I found
this latest baking endeavour to be something different but in a really nice
way. I wouldn’t normally go for muffins as they are usually chocolate ones
loaded with more chocolate and I would just find them, well, too chocolately.
Nonetheless, these weren’t heavy to eat and definitely a nice way to finish off
a lovely Sunday dinner. Overall, a very simple, quick and delicious recipe. Until
next time…
