Little Blueberry Puddings

 

These Little Blueberry Puddings are destined to become a family favourite.  Served warm with cream or ice cream, they go down really well. 

 

They are also very simple to make, using simple ingredients that you probably already have in your home, with perhaps the exception of some Wild Blueberry Conserve.    But take heart, if you don't have any of that, you can also use lemon curd, or even orange marmalade!

 

All are delicious!  Trust me on this. 

 

You make a simple batter, lightly flavoured with vanilla and fresh lemon zest, into which you fold some fresh berries.  I have never used frozen, so I can't say with any authority how well they would work.

  

You then divide the batter between six paper lined muffin cups.  Why the paper?  Because jam sinks and it sticks.  You will be glad that you used them.  Trust me on this also! 

 

Once you have filled the papers you swirl a teaspoon of jam (curd, or marmalade) into each and then scatter a teaspoon of Demerara sugar on top. 

 

I believe in North American Demerara Sugar is called Turbinado sugar. It adds a nice crunch to the top.

 

You then bake them in a preheated oven until golden brown.  I like to dust the finished puddings with some icing sugar.  I think a little dusting of icing sugar prettifies most desserts don't you?

 

Let them cool for a bit, remove the papers and then pop each into a dessert bowl or onto a small dessert plate . . .

 

Warm and ready to be enjoyed with lashings of pouring cream . . . 

 

A dollop of clotted cream  . . .

 

Or an ice cold scoop of vanilla ice cream  . . . 

 

No matter how you choose to enjoy these, one thing is certain . . .

  

You WILL enjoy them!

Little Blueberry Puddings

Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Moist and delicious.  Serve warm with some pouring cream, clotted cream, or ice cream!  I bake them in a muffin tin which I have lined with paper so that they don't stick.

ingredients:

• 4 TBS softened butter
• 95g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1 large free range egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• the grated zest of one lemon
• 140g plain flour (1 cup)
• 60ml milk (1/4 cup)
• 75g fresh blueberries (3/4 cup)
• 6 tsp wild blueberry conserve/jam
• 6 tsp demerara sugar (turbinado)

You will also need:

• Icing sugar to dust
• pouring cream, clotted cream or ice cream to serve

instructions:

How to cook Little Blueberry Puddings

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Line a six cup muffin tray with cupcake liners and spray the liners with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Cream the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, lemon zest,  and the vanilla.  Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk beginning and ending with dry  mixture.  Fold in the fresh berries.
3. Divide the batter between the six prepared cups.  Top each with 1 tsp of blueberry jam and swirl it in with a toothpick.  Sprinkle each with 1 tsp of the turbinado sugar.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Let sit in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and dust with icing sugar.  Remove the papers and place each in a bowl or on a dessert plate and serve fairly warm.  Pass the cream or clotted cream, or top with a scoop of ice cream.  Delicious!

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Any leftovers can be gently reheated and served.  (As if there would be any leftover, lol)  Enjoy! 

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Blueberry, Lime & Coconut Friands

 

I fell in love with Friands a few years ago when I discovered a fabulous recipe on What Katie Ate. It is the single recipe which inspired me to want to buy her cookbook, and I have to say, I fell in love at first bite!!  This recipe today I am showing is inspired by one I found in the Hamlyn book 200 cakes and bakes for a raspberry and coconut version.

 

It only makes 9 versus 18 and is every bit as delicious as Katie's.   I chose it because not only does it make fewer which is much more realistic in my tiny kitchen/home/family, but it also uses fewer egg whites, which means I have fewer egg yolks to dispose of. (Spaghetti carbonara is the perfect way to use these up by the way!)

  

Some of you may be wondering what exactly a friand is.  A friand is a small almond and butter cake, usually containing fruit of some kind, and is closely related to the French Financier cake. Meant to be just a few bites, they are fabulously delicious and quite popular cakes  in Oz and NZ. 

 

Today I have decided to use blueberries in the cakes, as well as finely grated lime zest . . .  blueberries, coconut and lime are a beautiful trinity of flavours and textures.

 

These cakes are just gorgeous . . . delicious flavours  . . .  and the texture of the cake is just beautiful . . .  with crisp buttery edges  . . .  and a light crumb that almost floats away . . .

 

But again, that is not all as they are also a tiny bit chewy . . .  almost in a macaroon kind of a way, if you know what I mean.

 

I also think they are very pretty, and would work well on the tea table . . . impossible to resist . . . 

 

 I think you could replace the blueberries with  any fruit  . . .  chopped fresh apricots would be lovely, especially if you replaced the coconut with an equivalent amount of finely chopped toasted pistachio nuts  . . .  mmmm . . .  in that case, I would also add ground cardamon, just a pinch and leave out the lime zest.

 

No need to worry if you don't have a friand pan.  A friand pan is a baking tin like a muffin tin except that the holes are oval in shape, which gives you the traditional oval cakes . . .  but if you don't have one, feel free to use a medium muffin tin. They will still bake up beautifully.  My friand tin only has six holes and I always use 3 muffin cups to make up the lot.  Not a problem.

 

These cakes are so beautiful and light they almost float  . . . like an angel's wings  . . .

 

I really think you are going to also fall in love . . . really  . . .

 

*Blueberry, Lime & Coconut Friands* Makes 9 Printable Recipe     These lovely little cakes are very simple to make and oh so moreish. Almost dangerously so!     75g plain flour (1/2 cup +1 TBS) 200g icing sugar (1 1/2 cups +2 tsp) 125g ground almonds (scant 1 1/2 cups) 50g dessicated coconut, unsweetened (2/3 cup) the grated zest of one lime 5 egg whites 175g butter, melted (3/4 cup) fresh blueberries icing sugar to dust

 

 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter your friand tins (or muffin tins) well and set aside. 

Sift together the flour and icing sugar.  Stir in the almonds, coconut and lime zest.  Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Fold into the flour mixture.  Stir in the melted butter until thoroughly combined.  Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared friand tin cups/muffin cups.  Top each with a few blueberries. 

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.  Dust with icing sugar to serve.

 

My brain is going a mile a minute here this morning thinking of other flavour combinations.  Chopped fresh pear with candied or preserved ginger.  Cubed apples and cinnamon.  The sky is really the limit! Bon Appetit and Happy Weekend! 

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