Recipes: Orange Marmalade Tea Muffins

I had an urge for marmalade a couple of weeks ago and rather than have it on a slice of toast, I wanted delicious moist cake to be the bringer of that bitter orange flavour.

So, I came up with the recipe for these Orange Marmalade Tea Muffins to satisfy my craving, and they are also tasty proof that there are no mysteries with vegan baking.

As you can see from this recipe, you don't need any weird and whacky ingredients. You certainly don't need a special 'egg replacer' (since so many other foodstuffs are perfectly capable of binding, and to be honest, why the ovum of a hen ever got used in the first place is a bit of a mystery anyhow!), and most importantly, no one will ever tell the difference. Except for maybe enjoying it more.

If there is difference in baking vegan sweet treats as compared to those containing animal produce, it really is probably for the better. I've done taste tests with the workmen across my street with my baked treats, and they don't know I'm vegan, or that my cookies and muffins are too. But I get a big thumbs up from them!

Whilst I can't claim these muffins are 'healthier' (they contain flour, fat and sugar, after all), they do have one thing missing that puts them above non-vegan baked goods - and that is cholesterol, since there are no animal ingredients.

NB. I haven't done a second test run of this recipe yet, so I hope this works out for you if you give it a whirl, and I'd be interested to hear your feedback! I am going to try it again soon for my Granny, and if need be, I will come back and update.

Orange Marmalade Tea Muffins
Makes 9 muffins

1¼ cups plain white flour
¼ cup ground almonds/almond flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Zest & juice of one large orange
(Tip: shave the zest off the orange before juicing it!)
¼ cup orange marmalade
1 tsp vanilla extract

To glaze:
3 tbsp marmalade
1 tsp vodka or white rum (or water is fine)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit / 190 Celsius / Gas mark 5. Prepare a muffin pan with bun cases.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the oil, orange juice, marmalade and vanilla extract together then put aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and almond flour together. Stir in the orange zest.

4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet, stirring in as your pour. Give the batter a good stir to make sure all of the wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly mingled.

5. With a spoon, divide the batter into the bun cases. Put in the over for about 30 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean and the muffins have risen with a golden top.

6. Leave the muffins to cool on a rack for about 20-30 minutes.

7. To make the glaze once the muffins are cool, slowly melt the marmalade with the vodka (or white rum or water) mixed into it in a small saucepan (you can also melt the marmalade glaze in a microwave for about 15-20 seconds if you prefer).

8. When it is runny, brush the glaze over the tops of the buns (which should by now have a slightly crispy top). Allow to set for about 10 minutes, then serve with a nice cup of tea!

(American measuring cups as used in this recipe have become my favourite kitchen accessory. If you need a set, you can buy them cheaply here).

Comments

[Victoria]

Made these yesterday. Delicious. Really easy to make. Thanks V

[Andrea]

Thanks for letting me know, Vic! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe. I haven't made it for ages.