I have been using this recipe for many years now. It is definitely delicious but is my go-to mainly because of how easy it is and its versatility. This is my kind of recipe, the one you can play with and alter to your liking or use as a base, in some preparations like bread, there’s little room to mess around, and can totally ruin the recipe. This one is the opposite; you can either make this a loaf or muffins or if you are like me, you do both. This recipe is enough to make 6 little muffins or cupcakes and a small loaf. It may seem like plenty of sugar but trust me, is not really sweet even with the sugar on top, it has plenty of ingredients that need to be sweetened up. The Turbinado sugar adds a subtle sweetness and crunch on top that takes it to the next level, plus makes a beautiful garnish. The mixture looks more like a dough than a batter so don’t worry, it has enough moisture, you don’t need to add more liquid, the magic happens when you bake it; it will even have a beautiful little dome-like top, not flat at all.
I have tried many variations that you can try too, you can even make it gluten-free! For gluten-free- switch the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill works perfectly). In case you don’t have buttermilk in hand, don’t worry, yogurt works just as well and it would cut the fat content. If you would prefer to use buttermilk but don’t have it at home, you can always make it. Making a substitute for buttermilk is really easy; for a cup of milk (240ml) add 1 tbsp of lemon juice (15ml) and stir it well and let sit for 5 minutes, you can use fresh or bottled lemon juice, both work fine if you don’t have lemon juice you can use vinegar.
Another variation that works is substituting the blueberries for raspberries or blackberries, or really just any berry; that’s how versatile this recipe is. I have tried fresh strawberries and peaches too but make sure you use fresh or if using frozen, make sure not to defrost them so it doesn’t have liquid because it can weigh down the preparation and make it denser. Don’t like berries or fruit? You can substitute the fruit with chocolate chips and walnuts. If you don’t have baking powder on hand, is fine, it will still rise, look beautiful, and taste wonderful, perhaps it may even help if you are at a high altitude like me. If you want to infuse this just substitute the 1/2 cup of butter for 1/2 infused butter. That’s what I call versatile and why I love this recipe so much!
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk (I use whole buttermilk but low fat works fine)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cup of blueberries
Turbinado or Demerara sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray generously with non-stick spray or line the muffin or cupcake pan.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar, then add the eggs and stir well to combine completely.
Add buttermilk and vanilla, still until evenly combined.
Add the dry ingredients; baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour; stir until just combined (you don’t want to overwork it once you add the flour, you will get a tough product)
Gently fold in the berries so they don’t break.
Scoop the batter into the pan and let it sit for a few minutes. Approx 10-15 minutes. If making a loaf spread it evenly in the pan.
Sprinkle the top with Turbinado sugar and maybe put another blueberry on top to garnish.
For cupcakes or mini muffins: Bake for 5 minutes at 425F, then reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can use the touch method, if they spring back a little in the center when touched, they are done. Let cool down for about 5 minutes before getting them out of the pan.
For the loaf: Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can use the touch method if it springs back a little in the center when touched, is done. Make sure is cooled completely before unmolding or else it can be difficult to unmold and it can break.
