If there's ever a cake that's almost acceptable to eat at breakfast, it's a muffin - especially if it's made with fruit (because that makes it healthy, sort of.)
Even if you'd rather stick to green juice in the mornings, blueberry and banana muffins taste great anytime of day.
Watch below to see chef and food blogger Tess Ward demonstrate how to whip up these delicious cakes at home.
Here's what you'll need:
150g fresh blueberries
240g plain flour, plus a little extra
75g butter, softened
1/2 large ripe banana
200g Demerara sugar
1 egg, beaten
1tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2tsp salt
240ml buttermilk
Step 1: Prepare the fruit
Preheat the oven to 190C and line a muffin tin with nine papers. Toss the half the blueberries with a little flour and put in the freezer for half and hour. Crush the rest of the blueberries and banana with a fork.
Step 2: Beat the butter with flour
Beat the butter in a food mixer until it is very soft - about the consistency of mayonnaise. (You may need to warm the bowl in a pan of hot water first if your butter is still quite hard). Beat in the sugar, then the beaten egg, and mix until well combined. Stir in the mashed blueberries and banana.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients
Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and ½ tsp salt if using, in a separate bowl and mix well. Fold half these ingredients into the mix, then half the buttermilk, then the remaining flour and buttermilk. Fold in the remaining blueberries (from the freezer - reserve a few for garnish) and mix until just combined, but do not overwork.
Step 4: Bake
Spoon into the prepared tin, dot the remaining frozen blueberries on top and bake for about 25-30 minutes until risen and golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving, but these don't keep well, so don't wait too long!
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