Speculaas-Spiced Marzipan Muffins
Hope you’re all enjoying a lovely Easter break! I made these very recently using marzipan leftover from a fruit cake and they were so delicious I couldn’t wait to share the recipe! If you’re not a fan of marzipan this definitely isn’t for you, but if you love the stuff, as we do, I really hope you’ll give these a go.
Vegan muffins are super easy to make and tend to be indistinguishable from those that contain egg. These babies are light and fluffy with a beautiful almondy kick and the warmth of sweet speculaas spice. I use this Dutch spice mix quite a lot; in fact I think I prefer it to regular mixed spice. I have a recipe for speculaas (here) but just use mixed spice – or pumpkin pie spice in the US – if that’s what you have. They’ll still turn out amazing!
They are based on my Simnel Muffins (here) and you can decorate them like that if you like.
Makes 12 muffins, you’ll need a tin that holds large paper cases (I always use the Dr Oetker ones)
240g plain flour
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp speculaas spice (or mixed spice)
150g marzipan, grated
125g dried mixed fruit (just raisins or sultanas would also be fine)
240ml non-dairy milk (any, we love Oatly)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
60ml sunflower oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Line the tin with the paper cases and preheat the oven to 200c / 400f / gas mark 6. Get the oven hot before you start as these only take a couple of minutes to put together and it’s important to get them in the oven fast!
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and speculaas. Stir in the grated marzipan then the dried fruit.
- In a separate jug, use a fork to lightly whisk the milk with the vinegar, oil and zest.
- Pour the wet mix on to the dry mix and use a wooden spoon to combine. Don’t be tempted to use an electric whisk, no muffin ever needed one. Just stir and scrape down the sides until there are no dry bits left. Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure to fill the cases as evenly as possible. Sprinkle each one with a little demerara sugar and get in the oven pronto.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes. They’re ready when they’re well-risen and golden; avoid over baking as this will dry them out. Cool on a wire rack and store in a tin – these are best eaten within a day or two.
