Wholesome cakey goodness.
Blueberries and bananas make foolproof muffins that are wolfed down by children and adults alike.
One of the things I like most about this recipe is I’ve never messed it up (I’m not much of a baker you see). I also like how they use dates instead of sugar, how wholewheat flour makes them not just fluffy but extra tasty, and how they sneak in the goodness of bananas, blueberries and nuts. And if that’s not enough, I really like the finishing touch of soft brown sugar scattered over the top before baking — a trick I noticed on some muffins recently to create a crispy top. Yums.
For 12 muffins
- 60ml milk — I use half fat, but oat, almond or soy would also work
- 80ml oil such as coconut or olive oil
- 170g stoned dates, roughly chopped and covered with a little boiling water to soften
- 210g self raising wholemeal flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (or baking soda if you’re in the US)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon either ground cardamom seeds (my fave) or ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 300g very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
- 60g frozen blueberries
- 1/2 banana, sliced into rings
- 3 tsp desiccated coconut
- 12 pecans
- 4 tsp soft brown sugar — Optional
- Cooking spray
Method
- Preheat your oven to 165°C (fan) and grease the inside of 12 cupcake liners with a cooking spray.
- Drain the dates of the water and add them with the milk and oil to a food processor and blitz until smooth, tip in to a mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs and beat in, followed by the banana.
- Add the salt, vanilla, spice of your choice, frozen berries and baking soda and mix in. Finally add the flour and stir in with a metal spoon.
- Spoon the mixture in to the cake cases and top with the slices of banana, then the brown sugar if you want to use it (it creates a lovely crispy top), desiccated coconut and a pecan.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife or skewer comes out clean.