Many years ago, before we moved to live in Dubai ... when our now teenage sons were filled with awe and wonder, were obsessed with the Power Rangers and thought that their Dad was the funniest person in the world, we ran a catering business in the historic city of Bath, UK.
We catered for weddings (great fun), parties (less emotionally charged and hence more fun than weddings for sure) and any other celebration where people wanted to eat. And every summer when everyone else was thinking about holidays, (wishing for) sunshine, long days and balmy evenings we would don our Santa hats and start making our Well Fed Christmas Cakes ready to sell during November and December. Some of the cakes would be sold online but the majority would be piled high at Christmas markets in and around Bath and Bristol. We sold 3 sizes of the Well Fed Christmas Cake but would also bake lots of other goodies to tempt people to our stall. Chocolate Brownies were always popular, Gingerbread Christmas Trees (decorated with the obligatory Smarties) went down well, cupcakes of various flavours were a big hit and the muffins always flew off the stall. As the years passed, we grew a crowd of loyal customers but we noticed that the 'just baked' muffins would often be bought up early by other stallholders who, like us, probably hadn't managed to grab breakfast on the way out the door. The Overnight Date and Muesli Muffins were definitely popular (they do have an air of the wholesome after all), but it was these Coconut and Lime Syrup Muffins that people would ask for year after year.
Somewhere on the lemon drizzle cake spectrum but a bit more substantial and a touch less sweet. Pretty too.
But these Coconut and Lime Syrup Muffins are definitely not just for Christmas. They make a great breakfast treat, a wicked indulgent snack or a perfect 'end of the week' packed lunch surprise.
And why am I sure that you'll enjoy these Coconut and Lime Syrup Muffins as much as those stallholders did back in the day?
- They're very easy to make. If I'm making them in the morning, I might weigh the dry ingredients out the night before and measure everything for the lime syrup into a pan so that I'm ready to go when I get up.
- The lime syrup gives the muffins a beautiful sheen and a naughty stickiness.
- The cake itself is not overly sweet and the coconut makes the texture feel a bit more substantial. In a good way.
- There is no denying that these muffins are at their best when they're warm out of the oven but they still taste fantastic the next day (that'll be the syrup keeping them moist).
- The flavour combination is not one that you'll see in muffins on every street corner and I like that.
- They are undeniably pretty.
So I've got three left from the latest batch. Any takers? ...
Coconut and Lime Syrup Muffins
Somewhere on the lemon drizzle cake spectrum but a bit more substantial and a touch less sweet.
Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Oven baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (375g) SR flour
- 1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut
- 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
- 1 large lime - you will need the rind, finely grated (approx 1 tbsp)
- ¾ cup yoghurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 125g (4oz) butter, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- For the syrup -
- ½ cup (110g) caster sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 1 large lime - you will need the rind, finely grated (approx 1 tbsp) + the juice (approx ¹/3 cup (80ml))
- For decoration -
- a little extra coconut for garnish (I used sweetened flakes but extra desiccated or toasted flakes would also work)
- 1 large lime - you will need the rind, finely grated (approx 1 tbsp)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F (gas mark 6) and fill a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases. My paper cases were size 50 x 44 mm (2" x 1¾").
- Combine the flour, desiccated coconut, caster sugar and the finely grated rind of 1 lime in a large bowl.
- Now mix the yoghurt, milk, melted butter and eggs in a separate bowl and then tip into the dry ingredients, stirring until the mixture is fully combined.
- Divide the mixture equally between the 12 paper cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- While the muffins are baking, prepare the lime syrup. Combine the caster sugar, water and the grated rind and juice of a lime in a small, heavy based saucepan. Warm over a moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, then leave the liquid to simmer uncovered for around 5 minutes until it has reduced and is a syrupy consistency. Pour the syrup into a small jug.
- As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, pierce them with a skewer (a few times on each muffin) before carefully pouring the hot syrup over the hot muffins. Take your time with this so that the syrup doesn't end up on the tin rather than on the muffin.
- While the syrup is still warm on the muffins, sprinkle them with the extra coconut and lime rind.
Notes
If you have cup measures you will be able to get these prepared and into the oven SO quickly. Weighing out the ingredients will be fine, but it will take you a little longer
Keywords: treat, weekend breakfast
