CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MUFFIN VOLCANOES
Volcanic Valentine’s vibes with these marvellous muffins! They are not too sweet but just sweet enough with sticky jam and the indulgence of melted chocolate. I’ve made these with a shop-bought gluten-free flour mix, sweetened with a supermarket unrefined molasses sugar (the closest thing to the more specialist jaggery), added a bit of carob to give them a chocolate colour and a malty taste, a dash of vanilla (a must for cupcakes and muffins), a bit of extra virgin olive oil to keep them moist and then into the centre goes a square of dark choc and the gooey raspberry jam.
The paper liner you use is important if you don’t want your muffins to stick, I use If You Care large or jumbo cupcake liners to make these muffins. Unlike conventional muffin recipes, you can give the batter a good beating — no gluten means that you can’t overmix them. To make these extra volcanic I wanted to make the muffins domed or at least muffin-topped so I filled them almost to the top and popped them into a very hot oven for a rapid rise that sets — the same heat that you use for making a roast! Then removing them after a short while means that they can carry on cooking as they cool. Pop them in the top third of the oven for the extra and more consistent heat.
One more thing… gluten-free batters can do with hanging about a bit before you cook them, so feel free to leave it on the countertop for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours/overnight in the fridge and in the meantime the starch can fully absorb the liquid. But honestly I’ve skipped this many a time with hungry mouths to feed and it’s always gone down a treat!
INGREDIENTS
Serves 7
300g gluten-free flour (I used an M&S one or try Bob’s Red Mill Paleo for grain-free)
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup/100g jaggery* or demerara sugar, crumbled
1-2 tbsp carob powder (depending how dark your carob or your jaggery is)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 medium organic free-range eggs or flax eggs**
½ cup warm water
2 tsp vanilla extract****
For the toppings
Low/no sugar raspberry jam (you can use a different jam but I like the tartness and colour of raspberry)
100g dark chocolate cut into squares***
Some freeze-dried raspberries sprinkles — or cacao nibs if you want crunchy and you can take the extra caffeine
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 230°C and position an oven rack in the top third.
In a large bowl, add the gluten-free flour, jaggery, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and carob if using and mix well.
Add the eggs, olive oil, warm water and vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth and well mixed.
Take a 12-muffin-cup tray and pop in 7 liners. Divide the batter into lined muffin cups, filling them almost to the very top.
Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam and push in gently to submerge. Top each muffin with a chunk or two of dark choc and then an additional teaspoon of the raspberry jam.
Sprinkle with the raspberry sprinkles to decorate.
Bake in the top of the preheated oven for about 6 minutes at 230°C until beautifully domed on top — make sure the oven is at the right temp when you put them in. Don’t open the door and adjust trays or leave the door wide open while you grab the tray or you’ll let out much heat!
When the alarm goes off, check the muffins. They should just be JUST firm to the touch on the edge and a bit gooey in the centre — almost like an American-style chewy cookie. Don't touch any of the hot jam, as it will be really hot!
Cool the muffin pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then gently pop the muffins onto the rack to continue to cool — leaving them too long in the pan might overcook them or make their bottoms soggy!
Enjoy warm or cool completely to store them.
East by West tips:
*If your jaggery is a little lumpy then make the ½ cup of water very hot and mix first with the jaggery before blending into the rest of the mixture.
** To make the flax eggs for this recipe: Mix 9 tablespoons cold water and 5 tablespoons whole flax or 4 and a half of ground flax (choose this option if you don’t want any “bits” in your batter) together and leave to swell and gel for 10 minutes or longer. NB: you won’t get the exact texture of eggs every time, and your bake won’t rise in the same way but it’s a good, easy option!
***If you’re making these vegan make sure that the chocolate you choose contains no milk products.
****If you’re using jaggery, I’ve noticed you don’t need the vanilla, as jaggery is flavourful enough on its own.
