Cherry Bakewell Muffins

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My latest recipe in the Explorer magazine is for these pretty cherry Bakewell muffins which are secretly filled with cherry jam. These muffins would make a great treat for any afternoon tea although I have to admit to eating a few for breakfast too. For this recipe I used large muffin cases but if you wanted to use regular sized ones you could very easily halve the ingredients and reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes. The almond extract gives the muffins their lovely marzipan flavour but if you had some marzipan laying around, you could always grate a chunk into the batter before mixing.

You will need-
Makes Approx 16 large muffins

• 100g Cherry Jam
• 540g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 2 medium eggs
• 340g caster sugar
• 140g melted unsalted butter, slightly cooled
• 380ml milk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 50g flaked almonds
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• Glacé cherries (optional)

Begin by lining a muffin tin with cases and then pre-heat your oven to 170C.

In a medium bowl sift together your flour, baking powder & salt. In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar & melted butter followed by the milk & almond extract. Very carefully fold the flour mixture in till its just combined. 

Half fill the muffin cases with the batter and then add about a tea spoon worth of cherry jam to every case. Top up with the remaining batter ensuring you have covered the jam. Bake for around 30 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean. Place them on a wire rack and leave to cool completely (eating hot jam is not fun!)

Whilst the muffins are cooling place the almonds on a baking tray and bake till lightly golden. Next in a small bowl combine the icing sugar with a couple of teaspoons of water and mix into a paste. Add more water, a few drops at a time till you have a smooth, slightly runny icing. Spoon a drop onto each muffin then top with a cherry and a sprinkle of almonds. Leave to set for 15 minutes before eating. These will keep for a few days in an airtight box.