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Spiced plum and yogurt muffins

And all things nice – that’s what these little cakes are made of. With a recipe for the perfectly portable picnic pudding, Mark Price proves that you can have your muffin and eat it. Muffins mean one thing in our house, and that’s baking. And what that means is that there will be some frantic fun in the kitchen, ingredients spilling onto the floor and then a lot of laughter. And then there’s the smell of hot muffins as they come out of the oven, which creates a degree of excitement ahead of a Price family picnic... Now while I’m not a huge ginger fan, I do like it in these muffins – it lends them a gentle kick without overpowering them. The plums mean we can bring in some seasonal fruitiness that works well with the spice. Muffins are perfect to transport for a picnic. But they’re also great for the journey home. We’ve often stopped at the Leckford Estate in Hampshire to look at the cows, then dipped back into the picnic basket for tea from the thermos and a muffin before heading home. Moo!

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Makes: 12

Ingredients

115g Unsalted butter
300g Self-raising flour
½ Bicarbonate of soda
¾ tsp Ground ginger
¼ tsp Salt
250g Caster sugar
250ml Natural yogurt
2 Eggs
2 Stem ginger balls, finely chopped
300g Plums, stoned and chopped

Method

Line a muffin tin with 12 large paper cases or squares of baking paper that have been cut to fit each hole. Preheat the oven to 190˚C/gas 5.
In a saucepan, gently melt the butter; set aside to cool slightly.
Sift the flour, bicarb of soda, ground ginger and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, mix thoroughly and make a well in the centre.
Add the yogurt, eggs and ginger to the pan of butter and whisk together.
Pour half the mixture into the dry ingredients; combine quickly using a wooden spoon. Before mixing in the rest, add 200g plums. Don’t overmix – any lumps will keep the muffins light.
Spoon into the muffin cases and top with the remaining chopped plums. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown and risen. Cool in the tins for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.