Strawberry and Cream Muffins

I love sunny days.  Not really hot ones but blue skies and bright sunshine usually put me in a good mood.  Today's bake was decided at the weekend when I was thinking what to make for the boyfriend's weekly trek to Dundee and this one sounded nice.  And I don't make muffins very often so it made a change from cake.  It just seems very appropriate that today is a sunny day because strawberries and cream have a very summer feel to them.  Sunshine also makes for great looking photographs.  I shall miss such good light when the winter months start to roll around.  My pictures will look much duller I'm sure.

Quite an easy bake this one, which is nice.  Pretty quick too.  There's just some waiting between cooking and putting the cream on otherwise it'll melt and go everywhere.  I also only put half a strawberry on top of each, rather than a whole one because I didn't have 13 small ones in my box (the recipe is for 12 but I made an extra one for tearing apart for photos).  I think the halves look nice though.  And the red and white cases offset everything really nicely.  A very attractive result.

Recipe - adapted from Cupcakes and Muffins

Makes 12

• 85g/3oz butter
• 150g/5.5oz strawberries
• 280g/10oz plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 115g/4oz caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 250ml/9 fl.oz single cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125ml/4 fl.oz double cream
• 6 small strawberries to decorate

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and then set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and put cases in a 12 hole muffin tray.
3. Wash and cut the tops off of the strawberries.  Chop into small pieces.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
5. Add the sugar and chopped strawberries and mix together.
6. In a jug, lightly beat the eggs.
7. Add the single cream, vanilla extract and cooled melted butter to the eggs and beat together.
8. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients in the bowl and pour in the wet ingredients.
9. Mix together until just combined.  Do not overmix.
10. Spoon the mixture out evenly into the cases a tablespoon at a time.  It is quite runny so be careful because it will go everywhere.
11. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
12. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
13. When muffins have cooled, whip the double in a bowl until it is stiff and then either pipe on top of each muffin or spread on top with a spoon.
14. Wash the 6 small strawberries, remove the tops and cut in half.  Place half a strawberry on top of the cream on each muffin.