Baking | Irish American Mom

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

April 30, 2016 by Irish American Mom 10 Comments

Muffins are my favorite, easy, grab-and-go breakfast at the weekend. I love to whip up a batch on Friday evening, to make sure I get a head start on Saturday morning mayhem, which usually reigns supreme in our house.

When we wake up on Saturdays, we’ve usually hit that snooze button a few times too often, and immediately have to start running here, there and everywhere around the house looking for football boots, water bottles, basketballs, shin guards, tin whistles, and all the other paraphernalia four kids need for matches and activities. With blueberry muffins ready to go, at least I know breakfast is covered.

“What’s for breakfast, mom?” echoes through the house every Saturday.

“Grab a muffin,” I shout back.

And grab a few muffins we surely do. I pack some in a plastic lunchbox, and as I sit on the sideline of some sports field, I treat myself to a muffin. Well, maybe a muffin or two.

And so, here’s my recipe for Saturday morning muffins.

Ingredients for Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins:

I know muffins are not typically Irish, but I add some good Irish oatmeal to these blueberry-banana muffins, which definitely gives them an Irish twist.

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of oatmeal
1 and 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup of buttermilk
2 ounces of melted butter
1 tablespoon of brown sugar (for topping)
2 tablespoons of oatmeal (for topping)

Directions for Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins:

Before you get started mixing the muffins, let’s do a little preparation.

Turn the oven on to 350° Fahrenheit to make sure you have a nice hot oven for the muffins once they’re mixed.

Since these muffins rise based on the chemical reaction between buttermilk and baking soda, it’s important to get them into the oven quickly once they’re mixed.

So be sure to line a muffin tray at the very beginning.

Next sift the flour, baking power and baking soda together.

Add a pinch of salt if you wish, but I don’t bother. I use melted, salted butter for this recipe, so I think they’re fine without any extra salt. If you substitute oil for the butter, then add a pinch of salt.

If you don’t want to bother sifting, then mix the flour with a whisk to eliminate lumps. I just can’t bring myself to eliminate the sifting step. I still hear my high school home economics teacher lecturing on the importance of incorporating air into the flour by sifting.

Next add the brown sugar and oatmeal to the mixing bowl and combine them with the flour.

In a separate bowl or pitcher add the buttermilk and eggs and whisk them together. Melt the butter and add it to the eggs and buttermilk.

Next come the bananas. Mash them with a fork on a plate. Give them a good old mashing. I don’t like banana lumps in these muffins.

Another trick of mine is to add the mashed banana to the wet ingredients and whisk them together.

Others may add the bananas after combining the wet and dry ingredients, but I like to add them to the eggs first.

Next step involves pouring the wet ingredients into the dry. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Combine the batter gently.

It may seem a little lumpy but don’t worry about this once there aren’t any pockets of dry flour.

Toss in the blueberries and mix them gently through the batter with a spoon.

And this is how the batter looks when it’s ready to fill those muffin cups.

I mix the topping next, which is simply a combo of brown sugar and Irish oatmeal.

Divide the batter between the twelve muffin cups.

The baking cases will be pretty full, but I like a muffin with a nice big muffin top, so I just load them on up. Nothing wrong with an extra big muffin top – take it from me.

Sprinkle the top of the muffins with the sugar and oatmeal topping.

Next pop them in the pre-heated oven, and bake them for 18 to 20 minutes.

When ready they’ll be beautifully golden brown.

Remove them from the oven. Allow them to sit in the tray for about 5 minutes to cool slightly. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Then, if like me you make them the evening before you really and truly need them to feed four hungry kids, try not to dig in straight away. It’s very hard to resist.

But if you have to, just crack one open while they’re still a little warm and enjoy those juicy blueberries surrounded by moist and fluffy muffin. Yummy!

A blueberry muffin and a cuppa tea is the perfect Friday evening supper when all the kids are tucked up in bed. But I have to be careful not to scoff the lot before Saturday morning mayhem starts in earnest.

Perhaps I should skip that Friday muffin supper, and just go pack everyone’s kit bags for the morning. Kit bags or a warm, fluffy muffin. Which would you pick?

The muffin wins every time for me, because let’s face it, Saturday would not be the same without a little chaos as you munch on a muffin.

Printable Recipe for Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins Using American Cup Measurements:

Yum

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Light and fluffy and full of juicy blueberries these blueberry muffins with banana and oatmeal are the perfect start for busy mornings.

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of porridge oats
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
1 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 ounces butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar (for topping)
2 tablespoons porridge oats (for topping)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper baking cases.
Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
Add the sugar and the oats and mix well together.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and buttermilk together.
Then add the melted butter.
Mash the bananas and mix through the eggs and buttermilk.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir together gently to form a loose batter. Do not overmix.
Add the blueberries and mix through the batter gently.
Divide the batter between the 12 lined muffin cases. Use all of the batter. Each muffin hole will be fairly full.
Mix the brown sugar and oatmeal for the topping. Sprinkle on top of each muffin.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the muffins rise and are a golden brown color.
Cool for 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire tray to cool completely.

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Printable Recipe for Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins Using Metric / Imperial Measurements:

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Print recipe

Serves	12
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Meal type	Breakfast, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly

Blueberry muffins with banana and oatmeal mixed through are a satisfying, on-the-go breakfast for busy mornings.

Ingredients

300g plain flour (12 ounces)
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (level teaspoon)
100g brown sugar (4 ounces)
50g porridge oats (2 ounces)
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
200g fresh blueberries (6 ounces)
125ml buttermilk (5 fluid ounces)
2 Large eggs
50g butter (2 ounces)

Topping

1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons porridge oats

Directions

Step 1	Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper baking cases.
Step 2	Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and the oats and mix well together.
Step 3	In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Then add the melted butter.
Step 4	Mash the bananas and mix through the eggs and buttermilk.
Step 5	Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir together gently to form a loose batter. Do not overmix.
Step 6	Add the blueberries and mix through the batter gently.
Step 7	Divide the batter between the 12 lined muffin cases. Use all of the batter. Each muffin hole will be fairly full.
Step 8	Mix the brown sugar and oatmeal for the topping. Sprinkle on top of each muffin.
Step 9	Bake in the pre-heated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the muffins rise and are a golden brown color.
Step 10	Cool for 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wishing you all happy muffin baking and munching.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Potato Bread – Yeast Recipe

July 16, 2013 by Irish American Mom 10 Comments

Potato bread made with yeast, flour and mashed potato is a hearty bread, perfect for serving with soups and stews. Here’s my version of these rustic loaves.

Ingredients:

The ingredients for this Irish bread are simple. The key to successful potato bread is time and patience to allow the yeast dough plenty of time to rise.

1 and 1/2 cup mashed potatoes (2 – 3 medium)
1/2 cup reserved potato cooking water
2 packets active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each)
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°to dissolve yeast)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or oil (to grease the mixing bowl for the bread to rise in)

Directions:

The first step is to boil and mash the potatoes. If you have left over mashed potato feel free to use it. However, I don’t recommend using mashed potatoes laden with butter and cream. The extra fat in the potatoes upsets the balance of ingredients in this bread recipe.

So first, peel and cube the potatoes, and cover them with water in a small saucepan. Bring them to a boil, turn the heat down, cover and simmer them for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.

Strain the potatoes over an oven-proof bowl or jug. A little of this liquid is great in the bread, but if you are using older mashed potatoes, and don’t have any reserved potato liquid, just replace it with an additional half cup of warm water.

Mash the potatoes.

It’s important to make sure there are no lumps in the potatoes, so I like to press them through a strainer. A food mill works great, but I’ll have to wait until Christmas for one of those. As you can see from the photo the strainer works just fine.

Set the potatoes aside to start preparing the yeast and dough.

Add a half cup of warm water to the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. The water should be between 110° to 115° F. Sprinkle the contents of two yeast packets over the water. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. The yeast is ready when it starts to bubble and grow foamy.

While the yeast is working its magic, sift all of the flour into a large bowl.

Once the yeast is bubbly add all of the wet ingredient. First add the warm milk and a half cup of reserved potato cooking water.

Add the sugar and salt.

Toss in the softened butter.

Add about 4 cups of the sifted flour (a little over half of all the flour).

And whatever you do, don’t forget the mashed potatoes. Just toss them in on top of the warm liquids and flour.

Knead with a dough hook of an electric mixer.

Gradually add an additional 2 to 3 cups of flour to form a stiff dough. Knead it in the mixer until the dough is smooth and glossy, which takes about 8 minutes of constant kneading.

If you don’t have a mixer with a specialty dough hook, you can add the flour by kneading it into the dough on a clean, floured work surface. Great work for building those arm muscles.

Grease a large bowl with oil or melted butter. Place the kneaded dough in the bowl and turn it over to oil up all the surfaces of the dough.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel. Set in a warm, draft-free space and let the dough rise and double in size (about 1 hour).

I like to put the bowl in my cold oven. I find it is the best way to control cold air drafts, especially when the air conditioning is blowing in the summer.

See how much the dough rises.

Punch the dough down. My little girl loves to watch the dough deflate.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into two equal halves. Take each section,and knead it lightly to shape it into a loaf.

Place each dough section into two greased loaf pans (9 inch x 5 inch). When I make this bread I always make two loaves. All the waiting and kneading seems wasted on just one loaf.

Cover again and let the dough rise for an additional 30 minutes until doubled in size.

While the dough is rising for the final time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

It’s amazing to see how much the dough expands over time. Lightly dust the top of the loaves with flour if you like a rustic looking crust.

Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. The loaves are cooked if the base sounds hollow when tapped.

I dusted the loaf on the left with extra flour for a rustic crust.

Remove the loaves from the pans and cool them on a wire rack.

This bread is delicious when served fresh. It freezes well for up to two months.

This is a great bread to accompany soups and stews, or for rustic sandwiches with thick slices of hearty bread.

Hope you enjoy this bread as much as my family does.

Here is the printable recipe:

Potato Bread – Yeast Recipe

Print recipe

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cup mashed potatoes (2 - 3 medium)
1/2 cup reserved potato cooking water
2 packets active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each)
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°to dissolve yeast)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or oil (to grease the mixing bowl for bread to rise in)

Directions

Step 1	Peel and cube the potatoes. Place in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
Step 2	Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
Step 3	Mash the potatoes. Press through a food mill or strainer to remove any lumps. Set the potatoes aside.
Step 4	Empty the yeast packets into a large mixing bowl. Add the warm water and set aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture is foamy.
Step 5	Add the warm mashed potatoes, warm milk, reserved potato cooking water, melted butter, sugar, salt and 4 cups of the flour.
Step 6	Knead with a dough hook of an electric mixer. Gradually add an additional 2 to 3 cups of flour to form a stiff dough. Knead it in the mixer until smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes.
Step 7	Grease a large bowl and transfer the bread dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel. Set in a warm, draft-free space and let the dough rise and double in size (about 1 hour).
Step 8	When risen, punch the dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal halves.
Step 9	Take each section, knead lightly and shape into a loaf.
Step 10	Place into two greased loaf pans (9 inch x 5 inch). Cover again and let the dough rise for an additional 30 minutes until doubled in size.
Step 11	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. The loaves are cooked if the base sounds hollow when tapped.
Step 12	Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake

July 3, 2013 by Irish American Mom 14 Comments

Blueberry lemon crumb cake is deliciously moist, and speckled with scrumptious, juicy blueberries baked right into the batter, and topped with crumbly, rich streusel.

Cake for breakfast! A very American phenomenon. I was astonished at the first pot-luck breakfast meeting I experienced here in America. I didn’t quite understand how we would eat ‘breakfast’, but I dutifully brought a gallon of orange juice.

I had visions of pouring cold cereals into bowls with milk, but was pleasantly surprised by all the tempting breakfast cakes to start the day off on a sweet note.

“What a great country,” I thought. “You can’t beat cake and donuts for breakfast.”

My waistline has since realized it may not be such a good idea after all.

One of my favorite breakfast cakes is streusel topped crumb cake with loads of juicy blueberries baked into the cake batter. Yummy!

Just in case you all thought I cook nothing but Irish recipes, the time has come to start sharing the results of my American cooking evolution. Over the past twenty years I have tried and adapted many American kitchen favorites, to suit my Irish palate.

To mark Independence Day this year I thought we might celebrate the red, white and blueberry, with my version of this delicious breakfast cake.

Ingredients:

Cake

6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 cups plain yogurt
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salk
1 and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan. I like to use a springform pan for easy release of the cake when baked.

Tap the pan upside down over the sink to remove any excess flour. Here’s how the prepared pan looks. Alternatively, you can use a flour infused cake pan spray.

I like to make the streusel topping before I make the cake batter. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, and cut the butter into small pieces, adding them to the flour.

Using a pastry cutter or the tips of your clean fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This time the crumbs will be very coarse and lumpy. The ratio of butter to flour is far more than would be used to make pastry.

Add the sugars and the grated lemon zest to the mixture and mix well together.

Most American recipes for this type of cake call for cinnamon and nutmeg in the streusel topping. I prefer a hint of lemon. I think it compliments the blueberries beautifully.

Set the streusel mixture aside while you make the cake batter.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set it aside at this point.

Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes. Be patient. Incorporating lots of air into the butter results in a lighter cake. Stop the mixer every few minutes to scrape the sugary butter down from the sides of the bowl using a spatula.

The mixture is ready when the butter turns a pale ivory color.

Add the eggs, one at a time, combining into the butter mixture on low speed. Don’t overbeat, since the eggs can curdle.

Add the vanilla, lemon zest and plain yogurt.

Continuing on low speed, add the flour mixture gradually. I add one or two spoonfuls at a time, mixing it slowly until fully combined. Do not overbeat the mixture at this stage.

I love blueberries. Don’t they look great going into this cake.

Blueberries aren’t often found in Irish supermarkets. Next time I am back in Dublin, I think I might try this cake using Irish blackcurrants instead of the blueberries.

Use a spatula to clean the batter from the sides of the bowl and gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth out the top using a spatula or knife. The back of a spoon works great too.

I felt compelled to show you this photo of my mixing bowl scraped clean with a spatula to remove all the cake batter.

Does it ever annoy you to see television chefs leave half the batter behind in the bowl? I never understand why the show’s editors can’t include an image of a cleaned out bowl. I think my fear of wasting food has created this pet peeve.

Anyway, back to the cake. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the cake batter.

Bake at 350° F for 50 to 60 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Place the cake pan on a wire tray and cool for ten minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a the wire tray.

Serve the cake when cooled. It’s delicious with a side of blueberries. This is perfect breakfast cake in my book.

Here is the printable recipe:

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake

Print recipe

Ingredients

Cake

6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
3/4 cups sugar
2 Large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 cups plain yogurt
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan.
Step 2	First prepare the streusel topping. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or the tips of your clean fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 3	Add the sugars and lemon zest to the mixture and mix well together. Set aside.
Step 4	Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Step 5	Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until the butter turns a pale ivory color (takes 4 to 5 minutes).
Step 6	Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing into the butter mixture on low speed.
Step 7	Add the vanilla, lemon zest and plain yogurt.
Step 8	Continuing on low speed, add the flour mixture gradually, mixing slowly until combined. Do not overbeat.
Step 9	Use a spatula to clean the batter from the sides of the bowl and gently fold in the blueberries.
Step 10	Spoon the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Use a spatula to level the top.
Step 11	Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the cake batter.
Step 12	Bake at 350° F for 50 to 60 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Step 13	Place the cake pan on a wire tray and cool for ten minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a the wire tray.
Step 14	Serve plain for breakfast or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Kerry Or Irish Apple Cake

March 1, 2013 by Irish American Mom 99 Comments

Kerry Apple Cake, also known as Irish Apple Cake, is a moist cake with a crunchy top, and can be served cold or warm with chilled cream or custard.

An Irish Apple Cake is technically not a cake at all. Apple bread is a better description, but I suppose our ancestors assigned the title cake to any baked good with a little bit of precious sugar added.

Known as Kerry Apple Cake in many parts of Ireland, I thought it was high time to share my recipe, especially since we took a lovely photo tour of County Kerry in an earlier blog post this week.

This cake was traditionally cooked in a bastible, a black wrought iron cooking pot. The bread was covered in the pot and hung over the fire to cook.

I remember my granny’s kitchen in County Cork, with a black iron kettle singing over the fire, or the bastible cooking potatoes or bread. The day the open fire was replaced with a big range, complete with oven and cooktop, has left an indelible mark on my memory. On that day I witnessed the end of an era. But that’s a story for another day.

Ingredients for Kerry Apple Cake:

3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4oz butter
3/4 cups sugar
3 or 4 large Granny Smith apples
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar (to sprinkle on top of cake)

The apples I use are Granny Smiths. If I was in Ireland I would use Bramley cooking apples, the best apples in the world for baking. But alack and alas I can’t find my favorite cooking apple here in America.

But why are they better than an eating apple, you may ask? When cooked they retain a lovely tangy flavor, and with heat develop a pefect ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ texture, since they contain more acid and less sugar than other apples.

Granny Smiths are my chosen substitute when baking this cake in America, because they are the tangiest of American apples I can find.

You’ll notice I stuck one small apple into my ingredient shot, just to prove every apple is not created equally. They come in all the same shapes, but different sizes. The amount of sliced apples used is key to apple cake success so really check your apple size. Three apples means three large Granny Smiths. If you can only get small apples, then you will need to use at least six.

Directions for Kerry Apple Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch round baking pan by spraying with oil or coating with butter.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, cloves and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Trust me – you need a big bowl, because once the sliced apples are added you’ll have a large amount of cake mix.

I like to prepare the flour and rub in the butter before I peel and slice my apples. This avoids adding browning apple slices to the cake.

All-purpose flour works for this recipe, but I prefer cake flour. This lighter flour produces a softer crusted cake, which better resembles an apple cake made in Ireland.

You’ll notice I don’t use any cinnamon. I prefer to add a hint of cloves and nutmeg, spices more closely associated with apples in Ireland. If you can’t imagine cooked apples without cinnamon, feel free to toss some in.

When I first came to America I was overwhelmed by the amount of cinnamon used in so many breads and cakes. It took many years for my taste buds to adjust to apple pie with cinnamon. Irish apple pies or tarts are made without spice or with a hint of cloves.

Cut the butter into the flour and rub it in using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

I confess I don’t own a pastry cutter. Throughout my childhood I watched my mom and grannys rubbing butter into flour using their bare hands, so there’s no modernizing me at this stage. You can’t teach an old horse new tricks.

If you use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, I would increase the amount of butter to 6 ounces. This helps keep the crust from getting too hard.

Next toss in the sugar and mix it through the flour.

Now it’s time to wash your hands and prepare the apples. Use a minimum of 3 large apples, but in my opinion, it is hard to have too much apple in this cake, so feel free to add an additional one.

Peel and slice the apples into similar sized pieces.

My apple slices are about 1/4 inch thick. Lie each slice flat and cut them into triangular quarters. The thinner rectangular side slices can be cut in half.

Some cooks like to dice the apples into smaller pieces and add walnuts. I prefer larger apple slices and as my granny would have said – “It’s far from walnuts you were reared.”

Toss the apples into the flour mixture and combine them thoroughly.

My advice is to work quickly because apples turn brown pretty fast. The faster they are covered in flour mixture the better. You can see how my apples are beginning to go a little brown at the edges, but I did have to pause to take photos.

Beat the eggs and add a dash of milk. Add to the apples and flour and combine well with a large spoon.

Add more milk as needed to fully moisten the flour. The result is a pretty sticky dough.

Transfer the dough into the prepared cake pan and flatten the top surface using the back of a large spoon.

I use a 9-inch round pan. An 8-inch round pan will simply yield a taller cake. However, moving up to a 10-inch round pan is not advised. With these specific ingredient ratios, the cake would be way too flat.

Next comes the final touch for a crispy top layer.

Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar over the top of the cake.

In Ireland I recommend using caster sugar, but regular American sugar is just perfect. Regular Irish sugar is far grainier than the American variety.

Bake the cake in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. A toothpick or knife will come out clean when it is cooked and the top will be a lovely golden brown.

Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire wrack to finish cooling.

I love to see the slices of apple peeping through the top layer. Just yummy!

My family love this cake served still slightly warm. Lovely with butter melting on top, or a dollop of cream or smothered in custard, you’ll certainly be licking your fingers and asking for seconds.

Here’s the printable recipe ….

Kerry Apple Cake

Print recipe

Serves	10 - 12
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 10 minutes
Meal type	Bread
Region	Irish

Kerry Apple Cake, also known as Irish Apple Cake, is a moist cake with a crunchy top, and can be served cold or warm with chilled cream or custard.

Ingredients

3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4oz butter
3/4 cups sugar
3 or 4 Large Granny Smith apples
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar (to sprinkle on top of cake)

Directions

Step 1	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch round baking pan by spraying with oil or coating with butter.
Step 2	Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, cloves and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.
Step 3	Cut the butter into the flour and rub it in using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
Step 4	Toss in the sugar and combine it with the flour mixture.
Step 5	Peel and slice the apples into similar 1" to 2" sized pieces.
Step 6	Add the apples into the flour mixture and mix them thoroughly.
Step 7	Beat the eggs and add a dash of milk. Add to the apples and flour and combine well with a large spoon. Add more milk as needed to fully moisten the flour. The result is a pretty sticky mixture.
Step 8	Transfer the dough into the prepared cake pan and flatten the top surface using the back of a large spoon.
Step 9	Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar over the top of the cake.
Step 10	Bake the cake in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire wrack to finish cooling.

Hope you all enjoy this little taste of rural Ireland.

Slán agus beannacht leat!

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Banana Nut Wholewheat Muffins With Weetabix

April 20, 2012 by Irish American Mom 7 Comments

Weetabix in a muffin!!!! That’s my secret ingredient for delicious wholewheat banana nut muffins. A little taste of Ireland and England, crumbled into the baking mix adds extra whole grains and fiber.

Muffins were a new concept for me when I first moved to America over twenty years ago. Sweet breakfast treats were not on the menu in my Irish childhood years.

In the time I have lived in the United States I have grown to love muffins. Using wholewheat flour and weetabix makes these special treats just a little less indulgent.

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup crushed Weetabix (2 biscuits)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
3 mashed bananas

Optional

1/2 cup crushed banana chips (to decorate top of muffins)

1/2 cup crushed Weetabix crumbles (to decorate top of muffins)

To get started preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to turn the oven on before I start baking. Then I try to put my bread or muffins into a cold oven.

It’s a disaster when using baking soda, since the chemical reaction gets started once the wet ingredients meet the dry. Everything goes flat waiting for a warm oven. Glad to get that little confession off my chest. Luckily my husband eats my cooking disasters and isn’t at all fussy.

Line the muffin tray with paper liners too before you get started.

To make the muffins add the wheat germ to the whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl.

Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl.

You probably don’t need to sift the flour, but I do it all the time. I can still hear my home economics teacher from Ireland warning:

“Always sieve white flour, girls.”

So sifting white flour is a habit of mine.

Toss the sugar in with the flour.

Next come the weetabix. Here is a picture of two wholewheat biscuits before crumbling. I just use my fingers to break them up into little pieces. If you like you can put them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. I find my fingers do just fine.

Add the weetabix crumbles to the flour mixture.

Next come the walnuts.

Then the dessicated coconut. Mix up all the dry ingredients.

In another bowl lightly beat the eggs and add the milk.

Then comes the vanilla extract.

Melted butter is poured in next. Make sure the butter is not too hot or your eggs will curdle. Add a little bit first and mix to let the eggs adjust to the slightly increased temperature, before drowning them in butter.

Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the liquids in. Mix well together.

Mash the bananas. I make this recipe whenever I have overripe bananas. My kids love bananas.

Sometimes I have to buy bananas everyday and sometimes they sit for a day or two and go a little brown. My kids won’t touch them if they see any banana freckles.

Banana bread and these muffins help me use up those speckled bananas, without having to turn into a monkey myself and eat all the extra bananas. I hate waste!!!!

Mix the bananas into the muffin mix. It should look like this.

Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin tray. I love to use my ice cream scoop for this job. I find I get exactly 24 equal muffins with this nifty little tool.

I like to decorate the top of my muffins with crushed banana chips.

I also like to use some more crushed weetabix as decoration. Usually I do 12 of each kind.

Bake them in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. When cooked a kinfe inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Cool a little before serving. I love to eat my muffins with a lovely big glass of cold milk.

I hope you enjoy my Irish American fusion muffin recipe.

Here’s the printable recipe:

Banana Nut Whole Wheat Muffins

Print recipe

Serves	24
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	45 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Tree Nuts, Wheat
Meal type	Bread

Banana nut wholewheat muffins with a secret ingredient, Weetabix, to add extra whole grain goodness and fiber.

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup crushed weetabix (2 biscuits)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
3 mashed bananas

Optional

1/2 cup crushed banana chips (to decorate top of muffins)

Directions

Step 1	Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
Step 2	Mix the wholewheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheatgerm, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
Step 3	Add the crumbled weetabix, chopped walnuts, and coconut to the flour and mix together.
Step 4	In another bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla essence and melted butter. Whisk together.
Step 5	Make a well in the center of the flour mix and add the liquid ingredients. Mix together.
Step 6	Fold in the mashed bananas.
Step 7	Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to fill the prepared muffin tray. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with crushed banana chips.
Step 8	Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

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