Valencia orange muffins

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

1. Heat the oven to 200C. Place 10 large unbleached paper baking cases (cups) in a muffin tray.
2. Finely grate the zest of both oranges and set aside. Melt the butter and allow to cool.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Serve sprinkled with ground cinnamon if wished. Orange and cinnamon make a great flavour combination.