Summer berry muffins

Use any fresh berries - stick to one variety or mix several together. (The photo shows a blueberry muffin.)

Makes: 12 muffins, 24 cupcakes, or a number of mini muffins!

Takes: 10 minutes plus 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

6 oz/175g berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants, cherries...

10 oz/300g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

5 oz/150g caster sugar

3 1/2 fl oz/100 ml plain yogurt

4 fl oz/125 ml milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 1/2 oz/125g butter or margarine

Method

1. 
   
   Preheat the oven to 200oC/180oC (fan oven)/Gas Mark 6. Line the muffin or cupcake tin of your choice with paper cases.
2. 
   
   Sift together the flour, baking powder and caster sugar into a large bowl. If using cherries, halve them and remove the stones; if using larger berries (eg strawberries), cut them into pieces the size of blueberries. Fold the fruit into the flour mixture.
3. 
   
   In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, milk, egg (beaten) and vanilla. Melt the butter and stir into the other wet ingredients.
4. 
   
   Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and quickly mix until just combined. Spoon into the paper cases then bake for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden.
5. 
   
   Cool in the tin for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can if you like reserve some of the fruit and add a berry or two to the top of each muffin before baking. Another option is to make a simple cream cheese frosting - swirl this on top of each muffin and add a berry or two to decorate.

Variation:

For Black Forest muffins, use 9 oz self-raising flour and add 1 oz cocoa powder. The fruit should of course be cherries! You could add some chocolate chunks to the mixture too. Chocolate frosting and a cherry to decorate each muffin would finish these off beautifully!