Wednesday 28 August 2013

Chocolate muffins with hidden goodness

This recipe is just a variation on my 'lightening fast' carrot muffins. Let's face it...when you are on a tuckshop bake roster you want something that is healthy and yummy but super quick to make.

And...as a bonus there is the icing recipe. Real strawberry icing. And because this was a byproduct of making strawberry jelly you have a bonus jelly recipe! Yummy!


The story begins with the usual steps - Oven to 190degrees Celcius, cupcake papers in place. Then it's time to pull out a few ingredients:

IN:
40g buckwheat or oats if no one likes the earthiness of buckwheat
40g cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
130g SR Flour (wholemeal spelt is great!)
1 tsp spices like mixed spice or ginger if desired
210g raw sugar or brown sugar or rapadura
2 large zucchini's cut into 5 pieces
2 eggs
110g oil you like to cook with

STEPS:
Mill your buckwheat or oats with the cocoa on speed 9 for 30 seconds.
Add the baking powder, self raising flour, optional spices and sugar. Mix for 6 seconds speed 6 to aerate and combine.
Add the zucchini into the flour and chop for 2 seconds speed 5. Check the mix, if there are any big chunks you can give it one more second.
Pull the mix away from the sides, and add the eggs on the edge, then weigh in the oil around the edge.
Mix for 15 seconds speed 3 (or on reverse if you want to keep some zucchini texture like a muffin).
Check that all ingredients are incorporated and mix a further 8 seconds on speed 3 if they are not.

3/4 fill your muffin or cupcake papers with the mix and bake for approximately 18 minutes - but check to see that they lightly spring back when you touch them with your finger.

Meanwhile...as they bake you can get the icing started.

This is just a variation on the Thermomix Wilton's Buttercream just click the link for the recipe.

My variation:
After creaming the copha or crisco and the butter, add 200g strawberry puree along with the vanilla and first 100g of icing sugar and follow the remaining directions - adding strawberry liquid instead of milk.

BONUS JELLY RECIPE
What I love, is that the strawberry puree is actually the waste from making real strawberry jelly.

Combine 250g hulled strawberries and 350g water in your TM bowl. (I like to add a teeny wedge of beetroot for extra colour). Cook for 5 minutes, 90 degrees speed 2.

Strain out the liquid. Now that wonderful red liquid is for jelly or cordial.

For Strawberry Jelly:
Weigh the 300g of liquid back into the TM bowl and add 200g sugar. Add 1/2 tsp of citric acid or a tablespoon of lemon juice. Set to 3 minutes, 90 degrees speed 2 - but turn it up to speed 3 for the first 10 seconds to incorporate any sugar granules that have snuck up the side of the bowl.

Meanwhile, combine 15g of gelatine with 80-100ml water, until well combined.

Add this to the liquid mix and cook a further 1.5 minutes, 90 degrees speed 1 (again, start on speed 3 for 10 seconds to help incorporation).

Pour into a pyrex or heatproof dish and leave to set at room temperature for 6 hours or more.

About 10g more gelatine and I could have cut this into really firm shapes. As it is, this is the perfect balance of flavour for eating on it's own, or in a jelly slice, or served with fresh berries and cream. Imagine a trifle with REAL jelly. *yum*






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