For some reason when I bake muffins with the fan on they sometimes grow noses. These are particularly nosy ones. They didn’t all turn out like this thank goodness, but I’m tempted to stick a couple of eyes on them and some whiskers perhaps.

I made this recipe up, just played around with the basic muffin ingredients. They don’t contain any sugar or butter, just oil and eggs, and lots of banana.

300g sf flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
4 tbps sunflower oil
200ml milk
3 tbsp honey and lemon (something I bought by mistake instead of just honey)90g chopped dates
40 raisins (for Ivy’s benefit, might just stick to dates next time)

Mash the bananas. Mix together the flour, bp, dates and raisins, make a well and add the eggs, milk and oil, mix well. Add the bananas and honey.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 180, with the fan for noses or at a higher temperature without the fan for regular muffins.

Actually they are little cakes but I liked the alliteration. These are lovely fairy-type cakes which contain no sugar and therefore great for little people (and people who don’t like much sugar). I made them for a picnic where a few babies were present. They do contain honey and therefore aren’t good for babes under one.

The recipe is from this great book Finger Food by Jennie Maizels, there are all sorts of recipes for babies and toddlers that get them interested in different textures and eating grown up food rather than mush.

Ingredients

90g butter, softened
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, beaten
85ml milk
1 tbsp runny honey
200g sf wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
90g sultanas

Icing
120g cream cheese
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tsp lemon or orange juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Line a bun tray with 12 paper fairy cases (or 24 petit four cases)
Cream together the butter and bananas, mix in the egg, milk and honey. gently fold in the flour, baking powder and sultanas. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for about 15 minutes until golden in colour.
Make the icing by mixing all the ingredients together into a smooth paste and spread a little on each cooled cake.

I loved them, Ivy loved them!

This one was really very nice indeed. Very moist from a combo of ground almonds and drizzling with honey when you get it out of the oven. And do try to support your local, small-scale honey producers, as times is hard and getting harder for beekeepers. I learned a little about the difficulties they face from some beekeepers I know in New Zealand, but I learned more when I interviewed the chairman of the London Beekeepers’ Association for Channel4 Food.

The only thing I would say is that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe in the Guardian said 160C for 45 minutes. Well, I did it in a fan over at 140 (normally I’d reduce the heat for a fan oven) and in 45 minutes it was barely cooked at all. I did use a slightly smaller tin than he said (ie making the mixture deeper for cooking through) but it still seems a bit off. Depending on your oven, you may need to bump up the heat somewhat and leave it in for longer.

Here’s the recipe.

PS – Jo and Lawrence, stick up that b’day cake you made for me when you get a moment as it was yummy and I want the recipe!

So in the last few weeks leading up to the ‘due date’ I need to be eating lots of energy food – perfect excuse to make a load of flapjacks! These are banana, with honey rather than golden syrup – so kind of healthy. Flapjacks so often have hydrogenated fat in them if you buy the shop kind – yuk.

The lemon and poppy seed muffins are delicious – not sure they’ll last long with Lawrence around – lemon is his thing.

We had our first pregnant lady meeting outside of NCT class yesterday, which I hosted, hence the totally valid reason to make lots of treats and get Grandma’s Conran tea set out. Everyone probably thought they’d stepped back in time to the 1950s, if only i could fit into my 50s dress at the moment, it would have finished off the look perfectly.

Flapjacks are easy but here’s the recipe for the muffins:

Makes 12
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
225g caster sugar
300g self-raising flour
2 tbs poppy seeds
1 egg, lightly beaten
225ml milk
60g butter melted

For the lemon syrup:
100g icing sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Oven at 200, grease 12 cup non-stick muffin tin (not paper cases – they will absorb the lemon syrup at the end)
Mix 2 tsp of the lemon zest and 2 tbsp of the sugar in small bowl and set aside
Mix the flour, poppy seeds and remaining sugar in large bowl. In a separate bowl mix remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, milk and melted butter. Add this to dry mixture until combined.
Spoon batter into tins then sprinkle tops with reserved sugar and lemon zest.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden and well risen.
Meanwhile mix the icing sugar and lemon juice. Spoon this over the hot baked muffins and leave to cool in the tin. (I pricked the tops to make sure it soaked in)

Yum!