Yes, yes, it’s January and we all know what means. Resolutions, clean eating, green juices, early morning workouts, stop skipping breakfast, get 10k steps a day, go to sleep at a reasonable hour, less screen time, eat more fiber, floss more, yadda yadda. But hear read more
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The mountains of end of season blueberries have been calling my name at the grocery store and I’m trying to gobble them down as quickly as possible. And what better way to answer than to make blueberry muffins? I wanted the perfect recipe — tender but not too cakey, buttery with a light crumb, and absolutely loaded with blueberries. Not so sweet that it could be mistaken for a cupcake, but sweet enough so that it felt special and indulgent.
So, there may have been… several rounds of “research” blueberry muffins in our kitchen before I finally landed on this version. (Let’s just say no one in this house was complaining.) The secret turned out to be a blend of butter and oil for flavor and moisture, buttermilk for tenderness, and a high-heat start so they bake up with bakery-style crowns for those that think a glorious muffin top is the best part. And that’s most of us, right?
Make them for brunch, school lunches, picnics, or just because it’s Tuesday and blueberry season, like summer, will soon be done. Once you try them, you’ll understand why I finally stopped tweaking — they’re perfect just as they are so let’s get into it.
I admit that I’m really picky about blueberry muffins because they are ubiquitous. Every bakery has one, grocery stores have them, and the web has a ton of recipes. But it’s hard to find one that has soft and not dense structure, because that’s how you get the firm very tall shape, which is amazing. But generally they are also kind of dry, especially the second day. Plus, you want the batter to be fragrant and delicious, not just overly sweet crumb that binds the berries. And let’s make sure we have a ton of berries. Am I right? That’s the whole point! Finally, a crackly top never hurts, it’s literally the icing on the top. Just know that the crackly top is less crispy, the second and third day-if they last that long.
So my wish is that everything about a mediocre blueberry muffin has been addressed and you will be free of bad blueberry muffins for life.
I start making my blueberry muffins by whisking together the dry ingredients. I always measure my flour by weight rather than volume — it’s the easiest way to get consistent results every time. If I can use my experience to help anyone who struggles with baking, the scale is your friend, it never lies. And for people who do not bake often, you need some experience and repetition to develop a sense of how the batter for cake should look or is the dough too dry or wet? A scale will give you the confidence to start baking like a pro. It’s really life changing-at least in the kitchen.
A cup of flour can vary by as much as 30% depending on how it’s scooped, which can make your muffins dense or dry. For this recipe, 2 cups of flour = 9 ounces on the scale, so you can measure it quickly and know you’ve nailed it. (No kitchen scale? No problem! Just use the scoop and level method: gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup without packing it down, then level it off with the back of a knife. This helps keep your flour measurement more accurate—key for tender muffins every time.)
Add the sugar to the flour:
Add the baking powder and baking soda:
Give it all a good whisk:
Once the dry ingredients are whisked together, it’s time to mix the wet ones. In a separate bowl add the melted butter to the eggs:
Pour in the oil:
Add the buttermilk. (If you don’t have buttermilk see my note below on how to substitute)
Add the vanilla. And yes it’s pricey, but nothing beats a real vanilla extract.
Whisk the wet ingredients together:
Now it’s time to combine the wet and dry ingredients for the blueberry muffins batter:
Gently mix until just combined, you don’t want to overmix.
It’s ok if small lumps or streaks of flour remain:
Then it’s time for the part we’ve all been waiting for- the blueberries! Add the star of the show, reserving some to top the blueberry muffins:
Then add the lemon zest:
Gently stir:
Now all that’s left to do is portion out the batter and bake the most glorious blueberry muffins of all time!
Top the muffins with the reserved blueberries:
Now the recipe says that topping the muffins with sugar is “optional”. I hope you realize though that it’s actually not optional at all-that bakery style crackly lid is the very best part!
Now they are ready to bake. You’ll start them off hot so they rise high, then finish low and slow for a perfectly baked interior.
Let them cool for 10 minutes, if you can wait that long, and then take them out of the pan.
I can’t wait for you to bake these up so you can experience Blueberry Muffin Nirvana too! Let me know what you think, and show off you muffins by tagging us @funkyasiankitchen.
Looking for more well-tested baking recipes? Check out my Lemon Pound Cake or Chocolate Zucchini Cake-they are sure to become favorites with your family too!
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DRY INGREDIENTS:
WET INGREDIENTS:
FILLINGS AND TOPPINGS:
Preheat oven to 425°F and move the oven rack to the middle.
Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners.
Make the Batter: First combine the dry ingredients by whisking the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Then in a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture. Mix gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Some small lumps or streaks of flour in the batter are fine. Try not to overmix.
Add blueberries (saving a small handful) and lemon zest and stir through gently.
Fill the muffin tin by dividing the batter evenly into the paper liners. Top with remaining blueberries and a sprinkling of sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F and continue baking for another 12-14 minutes until a toothpick test comes out clean or barely a couple of crumbs. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make some sour milk or use a substitute. For sour milk, combine 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk (do not use any other kind). Wait 10 minutes until it looks curdled. Continue using it as required in the recipe. You can also substitute plain yogurt or sour cream. Use ½ cup of either yogurt or sour cream and add ¼ cup of milk to thin it out a bit. Whisk together and it’s ready to use.
*You can substitute frozen blueberries for fresh. Use the frozen berries straight from the freezer (leave them in the freezer until the last minute) and do not defrost. The frozen berries have more moisture than fresh, so you will need to add a couple more minutes of cooking time.
Keywords: muffins, blueberries, summer, breakfast, snack, back to school
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If there’s one cake you could feel good about serving for breakfast or sneaking into a lunch box, this Chocolate Zucchini Cake is it. I mean chocolate is a Superfood and zucchini is a nutrient rich vegetable, this is starting to sound like the breakfast of champions! While it does have its fair share of sugar (because, let’s be real, it is still a cake!), the zucchini adds a wholesome touch. And with the abundance of zucchini this time of year, why not put it to delicious use? If you’ve never baked with zucchini before, don’t worry. There is no veggie taste, the zucchini blends seamlessly into the batter and keeps this fudgy and decadent tasting cake super moist. If you’ve been disappointed by lackluster chocolate cakes before, let this cake show you how amazing they can be. My Chocolate Zucchini Cake may look humble, but it is a chocolatey treat you are going to crave morning, noon, and night, so let’s get into it.
Baking is not my comfort zone. And that’s the reason why I always use a digital scale to weigh ingredients-the scale never lies. And unlike cooking, baking is a science. If you don’t follow the rules, you may not always get what you want. But using a scale ensures you’re getting the exact measurements every time. Flour, sugar, and other ingredients can vary a lot depending on how they’re scooped or packed into measuring cups, but a scale takes out the guesswork. It also makes it easier to follow recipes from around the world, which often use weight measurements. Once you get into the habit, you’ll wonder how you ever baked without it!
I get it—not everyone has a kitchen scale and maybe you don’t want to invest in one if you don’t bake that often, which is why I always include standard measurements in my recipes, too. However, if you’re using cups to measure dry ingredients like flour or sugar, make sure to use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Instead of scooping directly from the bag, lightly spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. This prevents you from accidentally packing too much into the cup, which can throw off the balance of the recipe.
It’s important to have everything prepped and measured and ready to go when baking. It will make your life so much easier and you’ll feel just like you’re on the Great British Bake Off when you reach for your ingredients.
Then I add the salt. Never skip the salt in a baking recipe-baked goods taste flat without it. I grew up in an Asian household and we never had Kosher salt, so I just use sea salt in all of my recipes, even baking ones. It’s one less thing to keep on hand. So if you’re like me, and you don’t have Kosher salt, you can definitely use sea salt, just use less to account for the smaller grains.
Sifting is a pain, I get it. One more bowl and the sieve to wash. But don’t skip it. Cocoa powder is very clumpy and if you live in a place with humidity, like me, it’s even more clumpy. Nothing ruins a cake quite like a chunk of unmixed cocoa powder. So take the extra step. And while we’re on the topic of cocoa powder, look for a good one. I only use dutched cocoas which include an additional step to neutralize the acidity (a process developed by a Dutch chemist, hence the name). Dutch-processed cocoa powders are not all equal; some of them look dark and fudgy but are in fact bitter and almost burnt tasting. My go to is Valrhona cocoa powder, which I love for its strong, rich flavor. But Scharffen Berger, Droste, and Guittard are all great too.
Once sifting is done, I grate the zucchini, our star ingredient. I’m going to be honest, when I look into my veggie bin, too often, I see a mushy zucchini staring up at me. Why are these things so hard to use up? In my never ending fight against wasted food, I decided I need more recipes that use up the things that I can rarely finish. This recipe uses 2 cups of packed shredded zucchini, which is about 2 small, 1 1/2 medium, or 3/4 a large one, just enough to get me over the hump. And there’s no tortured process of draining, squeezing, or rolling. Just shred it and use it.
There’s one more little surprise ingredient-instant espresso powder. A small amount of coffee enhances chocolate flavor, making it deeper and richer, but not enough to impart coffee flavor to the cake. Dissolve it first in some hot water so it won’t be gritty in the Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
When I have all the other ingredients ready, I melt the chocolate. I find the microwave really great at this, but you could always melt it in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Make sure you are using chocolate that is made to melt. Chocolate chips that are meant for cookies are designed to hold their shape. I’m using chocolate wafers which, like regular bar chocolate, will melt.
The secret to using the microwave for melting chocolate is to lower the heat. Using it at full power will scorch your chocolate, making an inedible mess. Low and slow is the way to go. I drop my microwave to 50% power and it works perfectly. Although the chocolate may not look melted, once you stir it, it will turn into a lush puddle.
Now it’s time to start putting it all together.
Mix for about 5 minutes, until thick and creamy:
Once I’ve mixed in all the flour and cocoa mixture, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla and espresso, I take the bowl out and mix in the zucchini by hand.
Now this baby is ready to go in the oven. This batter makes a 12 cup Bundt cake. Make sure to really get baking spray in all the nooks and crannies of the pan so your cake releases perfectly.
Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes; a toothpick test will show moist crumbs.
Cool for 10 mins in the pan before flipping it out gently, to finish cooling on a rack. Dust with some cocoa powder before serving.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake is certainly comfortable being served with some ice cream or whipped cream. But it’s also absolutely perfect on its own. I can’t wait for you to try it. Drop a comment on the recipe below, and remember to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Made this cake and still have more zucchini than you know what to do with? Try this Zucchini Jam, Lemon Zucchini, or Vegetarian Bibimbap!
*Use a kitchen scale for the best, most consistent results.
* You can use any bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, just make sure not to use baking chips, which will not melt and are made to keep their shape.
*You can substitute low fat sour cream (which is what I had) or full fat yogurt for the recipe with excellent results.
Keywords: chocolate, snacking cake, sweets, cake, zucchni
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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