Taken from Sweet Seasons by Michael and Pippa James (Hardie Grant, £26)
Often, we have many jars in the pantry, each containing a small amount of a baking ingredient such as nuts, seeds, different types of sugar, or the last of a sample of flour that we’ve been experimenting with. One day Pippa was pootling around the kitchen trying to think of something to bake as a lunchbox snack, and decided to pull out all the little jars and see what she could make. Half a jar of pepitas plus some bran, a bit of butternut pumpkin and the remains of a packet of cream cheese were reminiscent of pumpkin pie, and so this muffin was born.
This recipe is ripe for alterations, so have a think about what works well together and use up what you have. Apple and almond, pear with roasted macadamias, beetroot with mixed nuts and seeds quickly toasted. Basically, you can use any nuts or seeds you like, or a mixture of several, roughly chopped. The butternut could be swapped out for anything slightly sweet that you can grate.
Makes 12 muffins
- 150 g (51?2 oz) wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1?2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1?4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 120 g (41?2 oz) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 30 g (1 oz) bran
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1?4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1?4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1?4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1?4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 120 g (41?2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- 230 g (8 oz) sunflower oil
- 240 g (81?2 oz) butternut pumpkin (winter squash), grated
- Cream cheese frosting
- 300 g (101?2 oz) cream cheese
- 80 g (23?4 oz) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340 ?F). Line a 12-hole muffin tray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and whisk with a fork to mix them through and knock out any lumps. Add the pepitas, bran and spices, and mix well.
In a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar on medium–high speed until pale and fluffy. With the mixer still running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Continue to mix until the oil is well incorporated.
Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the grated pumpkin and gently fold it through. Spoon the mixture into your muffin tray and bake for 25–30 minutes. The muffins are ready when they’re golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting by combining the cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processor. Mix until well combined and nice and smooth, with no lumps.
When the muffins are completely cool, spoon some of the frosting onto each one and spread it over the top. If you’re keeping them over several days, store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container, and keep the frosting in the fridge. Add the frosting just before eating.
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