Cheesy Spicy Corn Muffins

I have tried making cornbread muffins a number of times before but never achieved a result worth sharing on the blog, until now. I hit on a really great recipe from a site on Pinterest - http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2012/05/jalapeno-cheddar-cornbread-muffins.html - and made these wonderful Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins - a blend of sweet and spicy. Cornbread batter is my current favourite to make - no fuss, melted butter, easiest to mix...what's not to like? Plus it's a great weekend activity, doesnt take long to whip up and you've got an interesting addition for Sunday brunch.

Here's my nice warm plate of cheesy muffins.

Jalapeno Cheddar Muffins - the one in the center has melted cheese on top

On an impulse, just as they were about to go into the oven, I topped four muffins with the shredded cheese just to see what happened when they baked. And because I didnt want to ruin all the muffins in case the cheese burned, I only topped four muffins. After they came out and had cooled down enough to handle, I wished I'd topped all of them....the cheese-topped ones turned out great with that extra pop of flavour on top.

Love the slight crumbing

This is an elegant muffin, with a complex mix of flavours - the batter has sugar and honey, which contrast perfectly with the heat of the jalapeno. All in all, one of my favourite muffins both to make and eat!

Do try it and lemme know how you liked it.

I love how joining Pinterest has broadened my foodie horizons and also my cooking/baking skills. If you're also on Pinterest, let me know and I'll follow your site. And if you have some favourite Pinterest recipes, do send me a link. I'm always on the hunt for great recipes.

 

I've been baking....

I didn't expect to be back and not have a post in for any of the weeks in this month, but I think some of my baked goodies can be blamed for it. I tried and managed to create a swiss roll for P's birthday early this month, but it looked like a five year old made it, which would have excused its Frankenstein appearance. Try as I might, I didnt feel like displaying it although I managed to whip cream by hand (with a non-electric whisk) and learn the easy art of making chocolate glaze although coating the cake with it was not simple at all and I was near tears at the end of the day. However, P was all overcome with emotion at the fact that I had baked and iced a cake from scratch like a 50s housewife and surprised him with it after a dinner of chicken biryani.

Better things followed, of course, and a trip to Marshalls and a few cake pans later, I made my first toffee apple cake (recipe from Angry Asian's site) with a rum caramel glaze - which has now become my husband's favourite cake - and my first banana walnut loaf (customized from a foodnetwork.com recipe) - Lan, your banana bread recipe is next...didnt attempt it at first as I didn't have a lot of ingredients.

Feast your eyes on these....



Exhibit A: Toffee Apple Cake



Small-diced apples melted beautifully into the cake -
next time am going to dice them thicker just to see the difference

I roughly crushed walnuts to add to my banana bread, which turned out well but I could have reduced the time it spent in the oven. The bottom half seemed to have cooked darker than the top half of the loaf.

Exhibit B: Banana-Walnut Bread

But not too bad for the first time, yes? Looking forward to making more loaf cakes in it.

These were my successes for this month. Next month, I want to learn to make breads - focaccia mainly - and layer cakes. I've got a possible dinner party this weekend and I'm wondering what to make for dessert. Any suggestions? Or should I go with the toffee apple cake? Topped with Vanilla Ice-cream and Butterscotch sauce? Or something more exotic?

Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies

Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies

My first batch of brownies from scratch were inspired from Nigella's Everyday Brownies. Right from the start as I melted butter and sugar in the pan I had a hundred doubts - would I burn the sugar, is the consistency of the batter correct, would they rise, did I forget something....the usual things that kept me peeking through the glass oven door every few minutes of the 25 they were baking. But the first bite I took of the just cooled brownies told me it was worth it...the hour of utter nervousness, the spilled sugar, the mess of dishes and pans in the sink!

The mildly tough crust gave way to a silky, soft cake-like texture of the dark chocolate brownies. I used the recipe as Nigella gave it but added only 1/4 cup of bitter chocolate (70% cocoa) and was rewarded by a semi-sweet but luxuriously dark chocolate taste.

Click the above highlighted link for the recipe. And Enjoy!!!!

Easiest Strawberry Cake

Easiest Strawberry Cake

Or rather, Easiest Cake From Scratch (click this link for the recipe) in the Whole World... A big thank you and hugs to Lan of Angry Asian Creations for sharing this recipe - it gave me the courage to venture into baking a whole cake from scratch than from a mix. For those daunted by the world of baking - as I was until the muffins and now this beautiful cake - give it a shot and I'm sure it cannot go wrong!

The cake batter seemed a little tough to mix but totally no fuss. I could mix it anyway I liked, didn't need a wire whisk or an electric mixer! At first, I thought my batter looked too thick as compared to the ones I saw in the photos but the recipe does mention that the batter will be very thick.



The Easiest Cake Batter

I guess that's why I kept peeking through the door as it baked to check if it rose properly, anxious to see if I'd mixed it properly.

I doubled the amounts in the original recipe too as my baking pan was huge (more cake for us :)). The only variations I made were to add a quarter teaspoon of powdered nutmeg to the batter and sprinkle granulated sugar on top as I didn't have raw sugar. I wish I did, the crust would have been a nice brown - although the sides and the base were :). I cannot wait to see the look on my hubby's face when I tell him it's from scratch....I couldnt believe I had done it either, as I dug into my first slice. Topped with some cold, vanilla ice cream although the cake didn't need anything; it is yummmm on its own!

Cannot wait to try it with a medley of berries or apples!

Coffee Banana Nut Muffins

Coffee Banana Nut Muffins

When I first saw Paula Deen's cooking show, I was flabbergasted at the richness of the dishes she would demonstrate. So, when I trawled through the Food Network website in search of an easy muffin recipe, I was amazed to find that hers was one of the simplest ones.... and hence - ta da! - my first freshly baked-from-scratch muffins!

Mixing the batter was certainly not easy; the process has certainly strengthened my right arm muscles. As it baked, my heart soared at the lovely banana and vanilla aroma wafting throughout the kitchen. And when I peeped in to see perfectly risen and moist muffins, I was moved to dance and whoop...it was the very first baked from scratch product and I was so glad to not have to throw it away at the first attempt.

A muffin and a cup of Jasmine Tea to accompany my book - Perfect!

When attempting this one, use four very ripe bananas and if you like your muffins sweet, use more sugar...coz this one was mildly sweet. Some of the reviews for the recipe suggest using chocolate chips...if I had any I would have bunged them in.

Get the recipe for Michael's Banana Coffee Muffins here. I substituted chopped walnuts for pecans and they worked just fine but I would have used a lesser quantity.

Thanks to this recipe, I feel more sure of trying to make cakes, icings and frostings, cookies and other bakes. I wonder what will be my first cake recipe - Apple? Lemon? Or a strawberry gateaux? :)