Cafe Fernando

Raspberry and Lemon Muffins

It has been a hectic week. I can’t even lift a finger, let alone bake. But I was instantly off the couch when I saw the mixed berries at Lara’s blog. I adapted her recipe according to what I had in the freezer and an hour later I was enjoying these moist muffins full of tangy berries.

Below you will see a few tips and an amazing technique I learned from Dorie‘s books, which transform an ordinary muffin into an extraordinary one.

Raspberries used in the recipe are frozen and that is another plus of this recipe. Always keep a box of frozen raspberries (or any other berry) in your freezer and you’re good to go anytime you crave a fruity muffin. Mix the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls, spoon them into muffin cups and you’re done. It is really that easy. Plus, there is not much to clean up afterward. That is always a good thing!

Raspberry and Lemon Muffins 2

Here are a couple of tips that transforms an ordinary muffin into an amazing one:

  • Mix all the dry ingredients in one large bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Pour in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients at once and mix only until the flour disappears.
  • If you’re using small-sized fruit, toss them with the flour to coat, which will guarantee an even distribution of berries.
  • Mixing the sugar with lemon peel isn’t just enough; you have to rub the peel into the sugar crystals so that the aromatic oil is extracted.

Raspberry and Lemon Muffins 3

Got any other tips for the ultimate muffin? Please feel free to share in the comments section.

Raspberry and Lemon Muffins

Adapted from Lara’s “Muffin Mixed Berries” recipe

Yields 12 (1/3 cup) muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 + 1/4 cups yogurt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 9 oz frozen raspberries
  • Peel of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
  2. Lightly grease or line your muffin tray and set aside.
  3. Rub the peel of two lemons with the granulated sugar and set aside.
  4. Mix yogurt, oil and eggs in a medium bowl.
  5. Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
  6. Reserve a handful and transfer the frozen raspberries into the flour and toss to coat.
  7. Add the lemon sugar and brown sugar into the bowl, followed by the wet ingredients.
  8. Mix until the flour disappears.
  9. Spoon the mixture into muffin cups, place one or two berries on top and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. wow these muffin look great! I often do muffin cause they are really easy and quick ! And plus you can do them with everything you have in the fridge!! Thanks for the recipe and expecially for the tips.
    Silvia

    Reply

  5. My ‘ultimate’ tip was the 1st one you have there so I’m all out of ideas now! I love the tip about dusting the berries with flour – that’s brilliant! I hate it when they all sink. Muffins are the best as you say, because they are so quick to make and it’s a case of using a couple of bowls and a muffin tray, brilliantly simple! They look delicious, I bet that lemon really comes through after you rubbed it in to the sugar.

    Reply

  6. and to veganize, try with flax, instead of eggs…2 tablespoon of flax and 6 tablespoon of water, mix and add to the wet ingredients…

    and the yogurt…ahhh zozi, sooo hard to veganize your delicious recipes…maybe soy yogurt?

    Reply

  7. These muffins look great, I can’t wait to try them! And thanks for the tip about rubbing the lemon peel with the sugar – you’re absolutely right about needing that friction to release the oils, but I wouldn’t have thought of it.

    Reply

  10. I adore the kind of muffins that you bite into and get a fruity treat inside. Only trouble is you can’t just eat one…at least I can’t.

    Reply

  11. Looks great- I love lemon & berries combined into baked goods.

    My foodsaver is my ultimate favorite kitchen item purchase this year. I’ve taken advantage of freezing fruits for later use. Perfect!

    Reply

  13. great looking muffins!! i have some tips to make beautiful domes on your muffins. and they work, i did this when i made donut muffins. fill your muffin tins nearly full, 2/3 full is not enough batter to make high domed muffins. you will get less muffins from your recipe, fill any empty tins 1/2 full w/ water. make sure the batter is thick, in a full tin a thin batter will flow all over your oven before setting. your batter should be “spoonable” not pourable. get your oven hot. set temp at 425 degrees, you need a high temp to create a burst of steam which will lift the top of the muffin and quickly set the starches and proteins in the muffin. after 6 or 8 minutes set the temp back to what the recipe recommends for your recipe. if you leave it on the high temp the muffins will bake too rapidly and will likely be crusty. these tips make high domed muffins, try it!

    Reply

  14. these look so tasty. i love raspberries and i totally agree w/ you that every cook should have some frozen berries in the freezer at all times – and i can barely bake! great blog… i’m going to keep poking around.

    amy @ we are never full

    Reply

  18. looking great indeed. although cooking such muffins is not my stuff, I am basically interested in eating part 😀 and I am more less kinda pasta and souce cooking guy.
    once a friend of mine told me that putting a little salt into it makes it taste well too. it was also one time I tried and I think I tasted a few salt crystals in it. now please guys tell me. was I fooled that time or is it just more than an urban legend ?? 🙂

    Reply

  21. Hello,

    this is my first comment on your blog, although I’ve lurked forever 🙂

    interesting that Tolga mentioned the salt

    I was going to post a question for you about it: I made these muffins yesterday and even though they are excellent, I thought the taste was a little “flat”

    I would like to double check with you – there was not a pinch of salt in the recipe that got deleted by accident?

    still, they disappeared in my lab this morning, everybody loved them. They are easy to make, not too sweet, very flavorful

    Reply

  22. Tolga – Salt definitely adds flavor to baked goods. I can’t imagine a chocolate chip cookie without it. So it’s not an urban legend. But this doesn’t mean that you have to put salt in every baked good.

    Hi Sally – No salt in the recipe. With all that fruit I don’t think it needs any, but will definitely consider for my next batch.

    Reply

  24. Can’t believe I stumbled onto this recipe just as I needed something to go with coffee for my book group coming up. However, I will try them in my mini-muffin pan and adjust the baking time accordingly. Also I hope to use fresh berries.

    Reply

    • Verochka – Not a silly question at all. My bad that I haven’t included it in the recipe. You fill 3/4 of each cup with the dough. Hope you like it.

      Reply

  31. Would you consider using baking soda along with baking powder, considering the recipe includes something acidic like yogurt?

    Reply

  32. HELP!
    whenever i use frozen berries my dough gets frozen
    by the time i am done mixing. the domes don’t come up and i can’t find any tips for using frozen fruit in muffins. these are great but not coming up the same as fresh…help?

    Reply

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