Nutella-Stuffed Sugar and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Today I made Nutella-Stuffed Sugar and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Do you love Doughnuts? Do you love Nutella? Do you love Cinnamon? Then you are going to love these. These little cakes taste like a cross between a doughnut and a cinnamon swirl. I used to make these cakes with just the sugar and cinnamon crust then one day I wanted to give them a quirky edge, that's where the Nutella came in. They are such a comforting treat with a cup of tea or cold glass of milk. Perfect for breakfast, as a dessert, as a lunchbox filler or as a naughty midnight snack. They are perfect for any occasion those all too well known chocolate/sugar cravings hit. Making these muffins is so easy. It only takes about 30 minutes from bowl to belly

.This is one of my favourite kind of recipes as all the ingredients are all mixed in one bowl. Any recipe that reduces the amount of dishes that have to be washed are favoured in my house. When you have these beauties waiting for you the last thing you want to do is face a sink full of dirty dishes. The texture of these cupcakes are so similar to that of a doughnut I often have people questioning are they really cupcakes. The Sugar and Cinnamon not only makes them look pretty but adds a crunch that really contrasts the softness of the cupcake.

Ingredients:

(Makes 6 large)

For The Cupcakes:

• 80g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
• 100g Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 120mls Milk
• 200g All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutella
• 8 Teaspoons Nutella

For The Topping:

• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to  180°C. Spray muffin tin with an oil spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the Eggs,    Vanilla Extract and milk. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.    Don't over mix, just stir together until everything is combined. 

3. Half fill each tin with the mixture. Layer with 1 tablespoon of Nutella in the center then top with another heaped teaspoon of batter on top. You can fill the cupcake tins right up to the top they won't overflow. I normally get 6 out of this mixture but can be easily doubled.

4. If you are using a 12 tin cupcake tin, I normally fill one of the empty tins with water to create some steam during cooking. This helps the cupcakes have really soft texture and even baking.

5. Bake at  180°C for five minutes. Reduce the oven to 160°C bake for a further 15 minutes until the cupcakes are golden brown. Allow to cool for five minutes.

6. While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the sugar cinnamon topping. Melt the butter in the microwave. In a separate small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon.

7. I normally use a pastry brush to brush the top of each cupcake with the melted butter then dip the top of each in the sugar and cinnamon mix. I normally swirl it around to ensure I get a nice thick coating.

“I love you like a fat kid loves cake!” 

Raspberry And White Chocolate Muffins

Today I made Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins. 

A lot of muffins these days seem to be just cupcakes in disguise, two bites and they are gone leaving you with a taste of wanting more. That's not the case with these guys, they are large and in charge. There's no fussing around with icing either, once they are made they are good to go, the piping bags can sit this one out. They also require no mixer so you save on the wash up, which leaves more time for well... eating them. 

All the ingredients I used today I bought in Ardkeen Quality Food Store, Waterford City. I'm so lucky to live so close to a store that stocks products of such a high quality and that always have everything I ever need. If you're not from Waterford I recommend finding a store that stocks local produce as well as being reliable. Using fresh raspberries and a high quality chocolate means great tasting muffins. I wouldn't recommend using frozen raspberries, even if you don't defrost them there is still a lot of juice loss into the batter resulting in a garishly pink batter - maybe something to keep in mind for Valentines Day. 




I used Callebaut Belgian White Chocolate drops as I find with a lot of the generic brands there is very little taste to the chocolate and the texture can be a little grainy for my liking. There are two things Belgium do especially well, Beer and Chocolate. These chocolate drops have a creamy high quality taste with a smooth finish which is perfect in these muffins. The creaminess of the chocolate compliments the tartness of the Berries perfectly. The Raspberries I used were Total Produce Raspberries which are sourced in Ireland. I leave them whole so you get a burst of zingy flavour but you can cut them into smaller pieces if you wish. I always try to buy Irish Ingredients where possible. Mostly they taste better and you don't have to worry about the ever increasing carbon footprint of your shopping list. 

 Ingredients:

• 375g Plain Flour
• 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Large Eggs - Room Temperature
• 200g Granulated Sugar
• 240mls Milk - Room Temperature - you can also use soy milk, almond milk or low fat milk.
• 120mls Vegetable Oil 
• 120g White Chocolate Chips
• 215g Fresh Raspberries
• Granulated Sugar - To Sprinkle

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. If you are using a metal muffin tin, spray with some non-stick spray, or rub a little bit of oil around the inside of each mould. I used a silicone muffin tray, they say that these are non-stick but I always oil lightly just to be safe.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until combined. In another bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Then mix in the milk and oil - The mixture should be a pale yellow colour.

3. Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix by hand. Only mix until everything is combined as if you over mix this results in tough, dry muffins. The mixture should be quite thick. I normally do this step with a metal spoon as the thin edge of the spoon cuts through the mixture better than a wooden spoon allowing you to do the job in half the time.

4. Pour the batter into the muffin tins. Make sure to fill the tins right up to the top. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Filling right up to the top helps with getting such a rise out of these muffins - excuse the pun. The sugar on the top is completely optional but it does leave an extra sparkle on top as well as giving a contrasting crunch before you hit the soft sponge center. 

5. Fold in the Belgian Chocolate Chips and Raspberries, be careful with the raspberries not to break them up while you mix as this will cause them to leak colour. 

6. Bake initially at 220°C for five minutes, this allows the muffins to rise rapidly and start the crusting process which stabilises them, lower the temperature to 190°C and cook for a further 25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden. You can test the muffins my inserting a toothpick into the center of the muffins, if it comes out clean - free from any mixture then your muffins are ready. 

7. Allow to cool for 10-12 minutes before you attempt to free them from their tin - This is always the part I struggle with as I'm excited to see how they turned out and I normally have people waiting to eat them. But it's worth the wait, believe me. 

These muffins taste best fresh on the same day as baking and normally they all get eaten moments after they're ready, but if by some miracle they last a second day store them at room temperature in an airtight container and they can last for up to five days.

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with cake.”