Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins came into the world because I needed to make something for Purple Day (an epilepsy fundraising day), had very little energy, and have something of an aversion to purple food coloured frosting.
Cake when you have no energy? Muffins. They are melt and mix, one bowl, and take less than 45 minutes from start to baked. As for the colour theme, blueberries are practically purple. I probably said as much when I was telling you about my Blueberry Mud Ice Cream Cupcakes this time last year.
Besides, the weather’s getting cooler, and there is something so comforting about blueberry cakes. I made Blueberry Streusel Cupcakes last year during Cupcake a Day May, and they are damn fine, but were too complex for my energy levels (they’re not that complex, so that tells you something about how tired I am!). So I needed something simpler – but with a twist! After all, I have my reputation to consider.
Cream cheese interiors in cupcakes are good, but that was going to take too much time. Instead, I went for simple cubes of cream cheese straight into the mix. It made pockets of cream cheese alongside the dark jewel like berries, and it was pretty much the best idea I have ever had when making muffins.
Basically, they taste like baked blueberry cheesecake. Only you can totally eat them for breakfast. Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins: I’m kind of in love.
If you really need more blueberries in your life, I think you could easily up the quantity to 3 cups. I will do this next time, even though I know it will result in basically more blueberry than cake. Also, it goes without saying that these would be spectacular with raspberries, chunks of strawberries, halved fresh cherries, or apple cubes tossed in cinnamon and mixed spice.
Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins
makes about 16
ingredients
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
250g block cream cheese (such as Phillidelphia), cut into 1cm cubes, tossed in about 1/2 cup flour and shaken “clean” (discard the rest of the tossing flour)
2-3 cups (250-375g) fresh or frozen blueberries (or try other berries or apple chunks tossed in spice)
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
zest of 1/2 orange, pared with a potato peeler and chopped roughly
3 eggs
125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup milk
mixing
Line muffin pans with 16 cupcake cases and spray cases with non-stick spray (if you have used 3 cups of blueberries you will probably need 18 cases).
Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Toss the cubes of cream cheese into the mixture to coat and separate the cubes. Toss the blueberries, lemon zest and orange zest into the mixture to combine. Add the eggs, butter and milk and mix gently until only just combined (if you are using frozen blueberries the mixture will sieze up, so work fast!).
Spoon mixture into the cupcake cases (about 3/4 full). Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes if you used frozen blueberries, and 25 minutes if you used fresh blueberries.
Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar, if desired, to serve.
Enjoy!xxx
