Fresh Cream Muffins

Fresh Cream Muffins. How good does that sound? But it’s not just a filling of whipped, vanilla-scented cream that makes these muffins so special. There’s also a lemony preserve and juicy sultanas in the light, buttery muffins.

Who doesn’t love a sweet muffin? Everyone will have their favourite flavour. Blueberry. Double Chocolate. Poppy Seed & Lemon. Apple.

I think homemade are invariably better than shop-bought. They’re almost always going to be fresher for a start. Plus you can play with those flavourings to get a muffin exactly how you want it.

Happily, muffins are also incredibly quick and easy to make.

So, how about taking it up a notch with these Fresh Cream Muffins?

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FRESH CREAM MUFFINS

First off, I confess that I completely stole the idea of Fresh Cream Muffins from a certain UK supermarket. I won’t name them, but fans of actor Sean Bean still get sweaty thinking about his voiceovers on the supermarket’s old TV adverts. I understand the cucumber one is particularly affecting.

As far as supermarket cakes go, they’re not terrible. But they’re too sweet, have palm oil in them and have a nastily sticky exterior.

However, the concept (a muffin sliced in two, filled with whipped cream and jam, then put together again) I cannot fault.

Of course then, I just had to have a go at Fresh Cream Muffins myself.

EASY MUFFINS

Most muffins are quick to make. Certainly quicker than standard cakes anyway. There’s no creaming of butter and sugar then adding the eggs, hoping they won’t curdle.

For muffins, you start off by beating the wet ingredients together (eggs, milk or yogurt or buttermilk or combination of these, melted butter, vanilla extract plus sugar). Then you fold in sifted self-raising flour, salt, baking powder plus your chosen flavourings.

Put into paper cases, they’ll take just 15 to 20 minutes to cook.

You’ll know when the muffins are done as a cocktail stick or skewer poked in will come out clean.

SULTANA MUFFINS

If I want muffins with the minimum fuss then my simple addition to the basic recipe is sultanas. There’s no prep to do, just fold them in with the sifted flour.

I think the sultana version is perfect as a base for my Fresh Cream Muffins. I love the little juicy bits studded throughout the cakes but which don’t overwhelm their simple, sweet butteryness.

However, you could make plain muffins if you prefer. Or, going in the other direction, add more flavourings if you like.

CHANTILLY CREAM

Once the muffins are completely cold, it’s time to add those fillings.

You could just whip some double cream. But to make it even nicer, I fill the muffins with Chantilly cream.

That may sound fancy, but all it means is that you whip a little sugar and vanilla into the cream.

Here’s a tip, by the way. You’ll find the cream will whip better if you put your bowl and beaters in the fridge so that they’re nice and cold before you use them.

LEMON PRESERVE

Along with the cream, you can really put any flavour preserve into your Fresh Cream Muffins. My choice is a lemon-flavoured one, so that the tartness cuts through the sweet cake, sultanas and cream.

Lemon curd would be the obvious choice wouldn’t it? But as I still have some of last year’s homemade Courgette, Lemon & Ginger Jam I thought this would be a good alternative.

I loved the heat from the ginger as well as the zing from the lemon. But just about any other jam or preserve can be used.

FILLING THE FRESH CREAM MUFFINS

To fill the muffins, you’ll first have to take them out of their paper cases. This is so you can splice them horizontally through the middle.

Generously dollop jam on one half and cream on the other. Then put the two halves together again (thankfully, no worries about ‘jam first’ or ‘cream first’ here).

And there you have it. Fresh Cream Muffins. Incredibly easy and incredibly delicious.

Because of the cream, I store these in the fridge. Just remember to bring them to room temperature before you tuck in.

The amounts shown in the recipe card will make 12 Fresh Cream Muffins.

However, if you don’t need this many, I recommend making the full batch of Sultana Muffins and freezing six of them. Make only half the amount of Chantilly cream and use to fill the remaining six muffins.

You can then either eat the defrosted muffins as they are (after warming in a microwave for 10 – 20 seconds first) or make another half batch of cream and fill as before.

Print

Fresh Cream Muffins

Course Dessert, Snack, Cake

Cuisine American, British

Keyword sweet things

Cook Time 17 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 325 g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 240 ml yogurt, milk or buttermilk or any combination of these
• 200 g caster sugar
• 120 g butter melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120 g sultanas
• 1-2 tbsp demerara sugar for sprinkling (optional)
• 12 heaped tsp lemon preserve e.g. lemon curd, jam

For the Chantilly Cream

• 300 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/ Gas 6.

   Line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder & salt then set aside.

3. Take a large bowl and put in the eggs, yogurt, milk or buttermilk, sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract. Beat together (I use electric beaters) until well combined.

4. Add half the flour mixture to the egg mixture and start to fold it in.

   Stir the sultanas into the rest of the flour mixture then fold this into the egg mixture too. Do not over-mix; fold so that the ingredients are only just combined.

5. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases.

   If using the demerara sugar (it will give the muffins a slightly crunchy top) sprinkle a little over each one before putting in the oven.

6. Bake until the muffins are risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean (approx 17 minutes).

   If the tops are browning too quickly before the centre of the muffins are cooked, turn the oven down a little and continue cooking.

7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

   Meanwhile, put a bowl and clean electric beaters in the fridge to go cold (this will make whipping the cream easier).

For the Chantilly Cream

1. Put the double cream, sugar and vanilla extract in the cold bowl and beat until your preferred consistency is reached. Set aside.

To fill the muffins

1. Take the cold muffins out of their paper cases.

   Cut each one in half horizontally through the middle.

   Top one half with Chantilly cream and the other with 1 heaped tsp of lemon preserve.

   Put each half back together.

   Serve or put in the fridge until needed.

Recipe Notes

If storing in the fridge, bring back to room temperature before eating.

Use within 3 days.

Unfilled muffins can be frozen.

Like this recipe? Now try Double Chocolate Muffins.