We have a tradition of having muffins for breakfast at weekends which has been neglected for some months and I was missing my muffins; so I resolved to make some this morning. It is now November and a murky, wet, grey morning so a warming, spiced muffin was required and there was a lonely sweet potato in the bottom of the fridge that needed using up which made its way into the muffin.
These were perfect for this morning with coffee, warming and delicious. My sugar had got slightly damp and I did not sieve all the lumps out which left partially caramalised little pockets of sugar throughout the muffins adding to the deliciousness!
I have my basic muffin formula down to a fine art – equal weights of wet and dry ingredients with an optional* egg if you a) are in the mood, b) have any or c) eat them. I find that I can generally add about up to half as much again of any other ingredient can be added to the batter without tweaking the amounts of wet and dry ingredients as long as your extra ingredient has approximately the same consistency and wetness as plain muffin batter.
*I am generally a huge fan of baking (and mainly eating) vegan as it suits me, is better for the environment and what can be better than being able to bake with no notice without needing any fresh ingredients?
Spiced Sweet Potato Muffins (makes 6 small muffins)
Dry Ingredients
4 ½oz flour (I used half plain and half wholemeal spelt)
1 ½oz soft dark brown sugar
1tsp baking powder
½tsp ground all spice
½tsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
Wet Ingredients
4 ½oz milk (diary or non diary)
1 ½oz sunflower oil
3 oz mashed sweet potato
Fisrt make your mashed sweet potato – I peeled mine and put in a bowl with a little water and microwaved for 3 mins and then mashed with a fork. Mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet (I blitzed with a stick blender). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together (the batter should be lumpy and mixing should take no more than 15 folds). Bake at GM5/190C/375F in your favourite muffin pan for 20 – 25 mins until risen and dark golden.
These look lovely – a nice spiced muffin – what could be a better way to start a drab Sunday?
I haven’t tried eggless muffins, but the mashed sweet potato would be great for keeping them together. Spicy muffins with pockets of sugar sound lovely!
Lovely recipe Helen. I really like the idea of spicy sweet potato mixed into the muffins. And that you’ve come up with a muffin formula that both works and gives you plenty of flexibility. Good one.