Baking

Apple, Cinnamon and Sultana Muffins recipe

Name: Apple, Cinnamon and Sultana Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 200g self-raising flour; 50g wholemeal flour (I used wholemeal bread flour); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon (I use a level teaspoon. Use more if you want a stronger flavour); 100g golden caster sugar; 2 eggs; 125ml milk or milk alternative; 4 tbsp flavourless oil (such as light olive oil or sunflower oil); 2 apples, cored and cut into 1cm cubes; 100g sultanas; 1 tsp demerara or brown sugar; small handful of flaked almonds (or whole almonds, chopped)

Jump to recipe

Light, cinnamon-flavoured muffins with apple chunks, sultanas and a crunchy almond sugar topping. The muffins are great on their own but even better with custard.

Prep15m
Cook25m
Total40m

cake muffins

Years ago I made Nigella’s delicious Apple and Cinnamon muffins, which have a sugar, cinnamon and almond topping. With time to spare in lockdown I had an urge to make them again but I wanted something less sweet as Nigella’s recipe has 250g of sugar (half honey, half sugar) plus another 4 teaspoons.

The BBC Good Food website has a basic apple and sultana muffin recipe that has 100g of sugar in total (not counting the sugar in the apples, milk, etc). The muffins look a little unglamorous, though, so I’ve borrowed Nigella’s topping and now I have my perfect apple muffin.

I’m not anti-sugar but we’re a household of two and if we’re going to make our way through six muffins over a few days (I freeze the remaining six) I try to be mindful about the sugar. We often eat muffins with custard for dessert (Bird’s custard, more on this in a minute) so there’s sugar to take into account there, too.

Bird’s Custard Powder! I always have this cheerful tin in my cupboard because we’re custard fiends and I like knowing that I can have custard whenever I fancy. It turns almost any muffin or cake into a great dessert and because it’s powdered I can easily make smaller quantities, choose how much sugar to add and use different kinds of milk. I find it more economical than tins or cartons. I know it doesn’t compare to fresh, vanilla-flecked, egg-yolk-rich custard but it can’t be beaten for convenience, flexibility and nostalgia.

Notes

The original recipe advises grating the apples but cubing them makes the texture of the muffin much more interesting.

Recipe credit

BBC Good Food and Harry for the tip about cubing the apples.

Recipe

Apple, Cinnamon and Sultana Muffins

Prep15m
Cook25m
Total40m

Makes: 12

Ingredients

Muffins

200g self-raising flour
50g wholemeal flour (I used wholemeal bread flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I use a level teaspoon. Use more if you want a stronger flavour)
100g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
125ml milk or milk alternative
4 tbsp flavourless oil (such as light olive oil or sunflower oil)
2 apples, cored and cut into 1cm cubes
100g sultanas

Almond sugar topping

1 tsp demerara or brown sugar
small handful of flaked almonds (or whole almonds, chopped)

Method

Heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Add 200g of self-raising flour, 50g of wholemeal flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 100g of golden caster sugar to a large bowl and stir.
In another bowl or jug, add 2 eggs, 125ml of milk and 4 tablespoons of oil. Whisk well then pour into the dry ingredients along with 2 cubed apples and 100g of sultanas. Stir to combine the ingredients and take care not to over-mix.
Divide the batter into the muffin tin and top each muffin with a small sprinkling of demerara sugar and a few flaked or chopped almonds. Bake for 25 minutes until golden on top. A cake tester should come out clean. Leave to cool for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.