Muffin tops cracked and not baked through?
This is caused when the oven is too hot, so the top bakes quickly and sets before the lower part of the muffin has cooked, then during baking the mixture underneath forces its way up as it bakes and rises, splitting the already set surface.
How to fix it: Dust with icing sugar.
Flat tops that didn’t rise properly?
Did you remember to put in the correct amount of raising agent ? Measure baking powder and bicarbonate of soda carefully with a measuring spoon – exact quantities are critical for the muffins to rise successfully. Also check the packets to ensure that the raising agents haven’t passed their use-by date.
How to fix it: Cover with icing and call them cup cakes!
Muffins too crumbly?
If the mixture is quite stiff when it goes in to bake, the end result will probably be dry and crumbly. Measure liquids and fats carefully. If the texture is too crumbly, not enough liquid was added.
How to fix it: Drizzle with a lemon sugar syrup, some booze or fruit juice.
Oily texture?
Did you use butter or the oil suggested in the recipe? It sounds like you tried to use a low-fat spread or margarine. These contain water, and have the weird effect of separating out during cooking and making the muffin texture oily.
How to fix it: Serve with tangy fruit for sweet muffins or a crisp vinegar-dressed salad for savoury ones.
Dense texture?
Sounds like you may have over-mixed. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together for about ten strokes until everything is just combined. Don’t over-mix.
How to fix it: Microwave individual muffins and serve warm, like a pudding. Serve with ice cream or custard to disguise.
Seriously sunken? (pictured)
You’ve added too much raising agent. Use measuring spoons for accuracy.
How to fix it: Put some raspberries on top!
Mixture overflows?
Did you use large eggs instead of medium? (All recipes use medium eggs unless large are specified.) Have you used the correct size of muffin tin?
How to fix it: Make sure next time you only spoon enough muffin mixture into the cases or tin holes so that they are two-thirds full.
Cooked unevenly?
Are some of the muffins browned, whilst others are not? Sounds like your oven is cooking unevenly.
How to fix it: Next time, turn muffins round after 10–15 minutes cooking time, but don’t open the oven door too soon or they’ll sink.
Muffins sticking to tins?
Did you grease them thoroughly? Use butter or sunflower oil and make sure you smear it right into the corners. Were you too impatient getting them out of the tins? Leave in the tins for 10 minutes to cool and firm up – if you try to remove them too soon, they’ll be too fragile and break up. However, if you leave them too long they may well set in the tins.
How to fix it: Ideally use a non-stick tin, or a flexible plastic one. Use a palette knife to ease around the sides of each muffin and gently slip underneath to release. Or use paper muffin cases every time – they make life a lot easier.
Baking something for breakfast may sound like I’m living in cloud cuckoo-land. I know people lead busy lives and there’s barely enough time to grab a slice of toast most days. What about weekends or birthdays or when you have friends to stay? If you’re more energetic in the evenings than mornings, weigh out the ingredients before you go to bed and then the following day, turn on the oven, mix together the ingredients and in no time you can tuck into warm, home-baked delights. And once you’ve made a batch, extras can be frozen and microwaved individually as and when you fancy a treat.
Granary honey muffins
Just because these look like cakes doesn’t mean they’re going to taste like cakes! They’re nothing like any shop-bought super-sweet specimen – in fact they’re almost as savoury as a good old-fashioned slice of toast.
MAKES 9 / READY IN 30 MINUTES
200g | 7oz malted brown flour
15ml | 1 tbsp baking powder
25g | 1oz light muscovado sugar
45ml | 3 tbsp runny honey
100ml | 4fl oz sunflower oil
1 medium egg
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
150ml | 5fl oz skimmed milk
1 Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Line a muffin tin with 9 muffin cases.
2 Tip the flour into a large bowl. Add the baking powder and sugar.
3 Mix together the honey, oil, egg, lemon zest and milk and pour into the dry ingredients in the bowl. Use a large spoon to fold everything together.
4 Spoon equally into the paper muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes until the muffins are well risen, firm and springy to the touch. Serve warm.
Five-seed muffins
Bursting with goodness – what better way to start your day?
MAKES 12 / READY IN 30 MINUTES
125g | 4 oz self-raising white flour
125g | 4 oz stone-ground wholemeal flour
15ml | 1 tbsp baking powder
50g | 2oz mixture of linseeds, poppy, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
125g | 4oz raisins
75g | 3oz light muscovado sugar
100ml | 4fl oz sunflower oil
1 medium egg
150ml | 5fl oz skimmed milk
Extra seeds, for dusting
1 Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
2 Sift the white flour into a large bowl. Add the wholemeal flour, baking powder, all the seeds, raisins and sugar.
3 Mix together the oil, egg and milk and pour into the dry ingredients in the bowl. Stir together with a large spoon until just combined.
4 Spoon equally into the paper muffin cases and sprinkle with a fine dusting of your chosen seeds.
5 Bake for 15 minutes until the muffins are well risen, firm and springy to the touch. Serve warm.
Apricot