Chocolate Marzipan Muffins

I make a lot of muffins, and they're usually more or less successful. These are, in my opinion, REALLY good (they've got a really lovely combination of textures with the crunch of the flaked almonds and the squidge of the marzipan), but I'd like other people to tell me if I'm just being biased. Oh plus I spent ages typing out the recipe to give to a local juice bar, so I may as well share it here as well, even if nobody does try it! :)

Chocolate Marzipan Muffins

Makes approx 16 muffins.

Ingredients:

200g marzipan, cubed

100g dairy-free dark chocolate chips (or block of dark chocolate cut into small chunks)

350g self-raising flour

150g sugar (granulated is fine, or demerara)

75g cocoa powder

325ml cold water

65ml vegetable oil (bland tasting e.g. sunflower or canola)

10ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract

pinch of salt

50g flaked almonds for decoration

Method:

Preheat the oven to around 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

Line a 12-muffin tin with paper cases and either put 4 cases in another tin or prepare a small cake tin for the extra mixture. (If you have an oil spray mister, lightly mist the muffin cases at this point)

Slice 200g of marzipan off a block and cut into slices approx 1-2cm wide, then cross-cut each of those slices so you have cubes of 1-2cm across each side.

Measure out 100g chocolate chips, or cut a block of dark chocolate into small chunks with a sharp knife (or I guess you could leave them out)

(If you can balance everything on top of your scales, the easiest way to measure most of the dry ingredients is to put the bowl on the scales, put a sieve on the bowl and set the scales to zero. Then measure everything directly into the sieve on the bowl.)

Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Remove from scales and sieve it all in, give it a bit of a stir to make sure it's mixed properly.

Get measuring jug and fill with water up to 325ml, add around 65ml oil and 10ml vanilla extract to bring it to around 400ml fluid.

Add the fluid to the bowl and mix until all the dry bits are wet (but not too long). If the mix is very stiff, add a dash more water.

Add in the marzipan and chocolate chips and stir in briefly so they're distributed through the mix, but the marzipan cubes are still intact.

Get a dessert spoon and fill your muffin cases about halfway up - a very heaped spoonful should do it. Sprinkle approx 1 level dessert spoonful of flaked almonds evenly over the top of each muffin.

Put in oven for around 16 minutes (mine is fan assisted so you may need a bit longer). If using two trays on two shelves swap them over after around 10 minutes.

When they are risen and the almonds are browned round the edges remove from oven. Leave to cool in trays for at least 20 minutes, otherwise the bases will go crispy.


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Any feedback, positive or negative, is welcome. :)

Hmm. These taste just as good on day two, but the almonds on top aren't quite as crunchy, so it's a marginally less good texture.

I should think halving the quantities would work, if anyone is put off making 16 at a time (I haven't actually tried halving it yet, as I've still got 11 of the last batch to get through!)

Will post pics when I find a camera.

I was going to say something but I don't like marzipan that much! I'm sure this recipe is good for people who do like marzipan.:)

Marzipan in muffins is always good. Peach and marzipan are particularly good.

I had a slight disaster once thou, when putting an entire laying over marzipan in the middle of a cake. Basically it stopped the middle cooking properly (I guess possibly because it trapped moisture escaping properly?) and I had to scoop the oncooked middle out and make a large donut shaped cake.

http://photos.offline.org.uk/showpic.php?picid=8040

It still tasted good :thumbsup:

Twinkle, those muffins sound lovely. And far too far away :D

Thanks for posting Twinkle - will definately be trying these for my boyfriend's birthday (he loves marzipan). I once made my own marzipan (pre vegan) and don't remember it having egg white in it but when I tried to make it again at Christmas I could only find one recipe without egg and it didn't work. I'm guessing the shop bought stuff is generally fine but it doesn't taste as good (although good in cakes I'm sure).

Mr Fibble - that cake is brilliant! - looks like a large, greedy mouse went at it while your back was turned! Did your friend's think it was a 'vegan thing' to bake a cake with no middle?! ... 'is that hole where the eggs would have been?'!

No, I think she caught on that it wasn't planned ;)

It's the thought that counts, right?

These sound great, I am going to try them when I get time. I love marzipan!

Love chocolate? - tick!
Love marzipan? - tick!
Love muffins? - tick!

Mmmmmmarzipan...Thank you, twinkle! I am being SO much more experimental with my baking now. Looks like I have another 'project'! :thumbsup:

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Mr Flibble

It's the thought that counts, right?

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Absolutely! Delicious cake is delicious cake no matter what the shape! I probably wouldn't have thought of doing that and would have just binned the whole thing and sulked! :rolleyes:

I love marzipan. I buy a block with good intentions of making a cake but end up eating it straight from the packet.

Looking forward to pics, Twinkle

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VeganMonkey

Mr Fibble - that cake is brilliant! Did your friend's think it was a 'vegan thing' to bake a cake with no middle?! ... 'is that hole where the eggs would have been?'!

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I think they possibly thought it was a Flibble thing - not cooking the cake for long enough and blaming it on the marzipan :D

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Mr Flibble

Basically it stopped the middle cooking properly (I guess possibly because it trapped moisture escaping properly?)

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Then how come it works when I do it? :D ;)

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beanstew

I love marzipan. I buy a block with good intentions of making a cake but end up eating it straight from the packet.

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Me too!!!

:o

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twinkle

... I spent ages typing out the recipe to give to a local juice bar...

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I made a half quantity to test if that would work before taking it to show the juice bar manager (along with some of the finished muffins).

On reflection, I think I'd either knock the flour down to 325g for a full batch or up the water/oil slightly (or both) because the half batch definitely needed extra liquid to stop it being so stiff stirring in the marzipan would have broken it up. I know this kind of thing does vary a bit by type of flour, temperature of ingredients and so on, though.

The manager really liked the muffins though! He was suggesting I make some for him to buy, but of course I don't have a hygiene certificate for my kitchen or anything, so his other suggestion is that I go in and make some there so he can sell them, that's how much he liked them! :)

Wow! That's great :) That would be really exciting if you went in and made them.

Yeah. He was talking about me showing him how to do it, and he's said he's going to try to have one half of his cake display case with vegan stuff! I'm so pleased, every time I go in he has been so nice and saying he's got new vegan stuff, and now he only uses vegan marge so there won't be any mix ups. :)

Cool! Ooh you could branch out with the cake varieties and slowly take over the whole display case :D

Cor, twinkle! That's fantastic! How soon do you think all of this will start moving? Do please let us know what happens. Convert all through subterfuge! :p