It is summer which means strawberry season and whilst the are delicious ‘au natural’ they are quite yummy in a muffin too!

Here is my ‘go-to’ recipe for a nice afternoon tea muffin which is super easy and super delicious especially when straight from the oven, freshly baked. The chief tester tells me that is how home-baking should be eaten 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
• 1 cup (125g) fresh strawberries chopped

Measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Mix.

Measure the cream cheese into a bowl then beat until smooth, warming it if necessary.

Add the milk, egg and orange rind and combine with a whisk, or beater.

Chop the strawberries into quarters – if using frozen berries do the same.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, stirring as little as possible. Fold the berries into the mix gently.

Put about 1/4 cup of mixture into 12 medium muffin pans – I use a quick spray of Chef Mate if not using paper muffin pans.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for about 12 minutes – 15 minutes if you had to use frozen berries. The centres will spring back when pressed which is the indicator you are good to go!

* I use the fan function when cooking muffins – if you don’t have a fan-forced oven, use a higher temperature or allow more time.

*After cooking let the muffins stand in the pans for 3-4 minutes, and they loosen themselves in this time! Press down gently on the edges of a muffin with several fingers of one hand and twist slightly. As soon as the muffin will turn freely, lift it out, and let it finish cooling on a wire rack.

Serve warm form the oven with fresh strawberries and a dollop of cream cheese!

Happy muffin baking xx