In season from November until February, locally grown Valencia oranges make great sweet muffins.
Ingredients
2 | Valencia oranges, washed and dried (Main) |
75 g | Butter |
2 cups | Self raising flour |
½ cup | Caster sugar |
1 | Egg, lightly beaten |
1 cup | Milk |
5 tsp | Cream cheese (Main) |
10 slices | Oranges, for topping (Main) |
To finish
¼ cup | Orange juice (Main) |
2 Tbsp | Caster sugar |
1 sprinkle | Ground cinnamon |
Directions
- Heat the oven to 200C. Place 10 large unbleached paper baking cases (cups) in a muffin tray.
- Finely grate the zest of both oranges and set aside. Melt the butter and allow to cool.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the sugar. Mix together the egg, milk, orange zest and cooled butter. Add to the flour and using a spatula gently mix together, being careful not to overmix. (Be careful not to beat as you will end up with muffins that form peaks and become tough as they bake).
- Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Pop a cube of cream cheese into each muffin, pressing down a little into the mixture. Place an orange slice on top of each muffin. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the muffins are golden on top and springy to the touch.
- While the muffins bake – place the orange juice and caster sugar in a small bowl – no need to mix. Remove the cooked muffins from the oven and while they are hot, brush the tops with the orange and sugar mixture. Lift muffins on to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve sprinkled with ground cinnamon if wished. Orange and cinnamon make a great flavour combination.