Secret Recipe Club: Blueberry Muffin Streusel Cake

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post. This is only my second month but I am totally loving it!

This month I was assigned to Anne-Marie's wonderful blog, This Mama Cooks. And boy, does she cook! She cooks up a storm. Her website is a treasure trove of wonderful recipes of all kinds. And best of all - if you have a special dietary need, she probably has something for you. Just fantastic healthy recipes, eggless recipes, low-cal weight watchers recipes, and tons of gorgeous gluten free recipes! Plus she has so many other fun lifestyle and health posts! I think I am now addicted to her blog. 

It took me a while, and I almost made something else (it was my husband's birthday yesterday and I almost made this Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Walnut Torte), but I ended up making a recipe that we all love eating around here. This is the kind of stuff that my family loves, and so I made this gorgeous muffin cake for breakfast one morning. And I was right - they loved it! I try not to make these indulgent breakfasts too often - maybe a couple of a times a month.

I didn't make too many changes in the recipe apart from substituting some of the all purpose flour with whole wheat, and reducing the sugar just a little.

Blueberry Muffin Streusel Cake

Adapted from this recipe on This Mama Cooks 

Ingredients 

Cake:

1 cup flour (I used equal parts of all purpose and whole wheat) 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

2 tbsp canola oil (or any neutral flavoured  oil)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup flour (I used equal parts of all purpose and whole wheat)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla 

3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped 

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 9x9x2 square baking pan and lightly dust with flour. Set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel ingredients and mix well to combine. I got a nice even mix by using my fingers. I think a food processor would work well too. Set aside. 

3. In another medium bowl, combine all the cake ingredients except the blueberries, and stir just until completely combined. You don't want any pockets of dry flour. 

4. Fold in the blueberries gently. 

5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and sprinkle the whole top of the cake with an even layer of the prepared streusel topping. 

6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

7. Serve warm. 

My favourite thing about this recipes was how easy it was to put together. No fussing about. Combine all the ingredients, mix and bake! Just loved it!

Another fabulous thing is that even though the cake and topping have very little butter/oil, it doesn't taste that way. It tastes really, really good - especially that awesome crunchy streusel topping with those amazing toasty pecans! The whole thing was polished off in a matter of hours! 

The level of sugar was just right for us but if you have a sweet tooth, you should up the sugar and use what Anne-Marie originally recommends. And while you're visiting her, make sure to check out her other fabulous recipes, and don't forget to say hello from me. Right now, apart from that gorgeous walnut torte, I also plan to try my hand at her awesome looking homemade chorizo, and this totally tempting Baked Pumpkin Chocolate French Toast with Bananas. I mean, how good does that sound?!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Check out the other fabulous SRC recipes at the link below. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Peach & Apricot Muffins

With peaches and apricots in every fruit market, can you blame me for stocking up. We had a few cobblers and a few baked peaches. We had a few more 'experimental' dishes that I won't elaborate upon. And finally I had to put the overripe peaches and apricots into the fridge where they were promptly forgotten for another 4 days. 

When I opened that box of fruit, the overripe fruit was so aromatic! It was breakfast time, and so I decided I would use them for my favorite breakfast dish or course, muffins. I guess you could say my philosophy is 'when in doubt about what do with it, use it in a muffin'! This time, it paid off!

Peach & Apricot Muffins

Loosely adapted from this recipe from allrecipes.com
Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp melted butter 

1 large egg

3 tbsp buttermilk or milk (I used whey)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1 cup chopped peaches & apricots, peeled, pitted & chopped 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. 

2. Prepare a 6 cup jumbo muffin tin, or an 8 cup regular sized muffin tin, by lining with paper liners.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine and set aside. 

4. In a smaller bowl, combine the oil, butter, egg, buttermilk, sugars & vanilla. 

5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil mixture. Stir gently until almost combined. 

6. Add the chopped fruit and stir to combine completely. Do not overmix. 

7. Spoon each prepared muffin cup up to 3/4 of the way. 

8. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the top of the muffin springs back when touched, and is starting to brown. 

9. Remove from the oven, allow to rest in the pan for a while, remove from the pan and serve warm. 

As you can tell, I used a combination of peaches and apricots, but I think this recipe would work well with most stone fruit. Just peaches. Just apricots. Nectarines, plums, cherries - just go wild!

We loved this recipe. The sugar and spice really brought out the flavor of the fruit and had us coming back for more. 

I thought the muffin may be slightly too sweet because it is more sugar than I usually use in a muffin recipe. I was wrong! It all balanced out beautifully and my husband insisted I freeze the last 2 muffins so he could have them for breakfast later in the week. 

Go make this muffin! 

Until next time <3

Sugar & Spice Baked Breakfast Doughnuts

Last week, my little baby girl turned one. Can't believe it! That one year has gone by so quick! I made a few cakes for her, to share with our family, friends and church family. It was a lot of baking - more than 16 kilos of cake baked, frosted and decorated in a span of four days, but I totally enjoyed it! Here's a picture of the cake I made to share with our family. 

The cake was a simple butter cake, filled with buttercream and fresh strawberries and covered in fondant and gumpaste figurines. It was so much fun to make, and the birthday baby loved her cake and clapped her hands in glee when she saw the cake. 

Now, on to the recipe for today. As you can see, I'm thoroughly enjoying playing with my new doughnut pan! This recipe makes a yummy, soft doughnut that's quick to fix, and great for breakfast or as an anytime snack. The combination of a hint of nutmeg and a blast of cinnamon make an amazing combination. 

Sugar & Spice Baked Doughnuts 

Adapted from cooks.com

Ingredients 

5 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature 
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Method 

1. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg powder into a bowl and set aside. 

2. In a large bowl, cream together the 5 tbsp of butter, and the 1/2 cup of sugar. Cream till light. 

3. Add the egg and beat in until completely combined. 

4. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk. 

5. Fill the doughnut tins half-full and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the doughnut comes out clean. 

6. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon powder and set aside. 

7. Dip the doughnuts tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm. 

I've made this recipe as doughnut muffins too, and they work great! Everyone at home enjoys the flavors and texture of these doughnuts. A keeper, no doubt!

Until next time :)