Where, oh where is the muffin man?

Do you have easy special muffin recipes? I tried following a simple one, but it tasted of flour. It was kind of hard to bake, too. Was it because of overmixing or was it the muffin pans I used? Also, if you know some baking classes, will you kindly inform me of the schedules? I’ll be more than willing to attend. – Tes M.

The secret to making moist and springy muffins is in the dry yeast, if you’re following a yeast-based recipe, or in the buttermilk, if you’re using all-purpose flour.

Here’s a buttermilk and sour cream-based raisin muffin recipe you might like to try:

Preheat your oven at 400 degrees. Line a dozen-and-a-half muffin cups with paper baking cups. Chop raisins roughly and set them aside.

In an electric mixer, combine a cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of softened butter, and two tablespoons of sour cream. Beat in two eggs.

Combine two cups of flour and a teaspoon of salt and add this dry mixture to the mixer, beating until well incorporated. Stir together 2/3 cup of buttermilk (you may use the powdered form, but note the correct amount to dilute with water in order to obtain the necessary 2/3 cup) and a teaspoon of baking soda. Add this to the mixer as well and beat until fully combined.

Fold in chopped raisins and spoon the batter into the cups, stopping just below the 1/3 level from the top. Bake muffin cups for 15 minutes.

For culinary classes, try contacting the following institutes for their summer session schedules: Reggie A. Aspiras of Bon Appetit at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Center for Culinary Arts Manila on Katipunan Ave., Dorothy Ferreria’s Cooking School in New Manila, Quezon City, or Heny Sison’s on Santolan Ave.

* * * Does A Pound Cake Contain A Pound Of Everything?

I would like to ask about pound and liqueur cakes. Is it true that pound cakes are really made of a pound of everything in each recipe? How can I make a good pound cake or liqueur cake? I’ve been searching for a good recipe of these cakes. – Ma. Victoria C. Javier

It could very well make sense that a pound cake is made up of a pound of all its ingredients. However, I think its name derives itself more likely from the baked cake (or loaf) weighing in at about a pound.

In reality, pound cakes are almost as heavy as those dense fruitcakes (Could this be what you mean by liqueur cakes?) that we enjoy during the Christmas holidays, but only use 1/2 pound of butter and 1/2 pound of sour cream, instead of the traditional one pound of pure, creamy butter required for those rich liqueur cakes.

This is not to say that you couldn’t go for that pound of butter when making your own pound cake! In fact, here’s a simple recipe for the basic one-pound-butter pound cake. You can make variations by adding crushed walnuts. Sweet raisins or black currants that have been soaked in dark rum can be added as well, topped with halved green cherries. This basic recipe is also known to be a good base for wedding cakes:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a round nine-inch cake pan. Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it easier to remove the cake once baked.

Sift four cups of flour, four teaspoons of baking powder and a teaspoon of salt and set aside these dry ingredients.

Cream one pound of butter (that’s two bricks!) with an electric mixer, gradually adding three cups of sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

Crack six eggs, beating well after each egg is added to the mixture. Gradually add the dry ingredients, followed by a cup of milk, two teaspoons of vanilla extract and two teaspoons pure lemon extract (you can use grated lemon zest).

Pour the entire beaten mixture into your floured-and-buttered cake pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Once done, allow the cake to cool in its pan for about 10 minutes before turning over onto a wire rack to cool further. Once thoroughly cooled, the cake can be set on a cake platter and readied for serving.

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