Chocolate Muffin II [A quick afternoon tea]

It has been awhile since I last baked muffin so I decided to bake some for afternoon tea as we had early lunch today. A quick basic muffin recipe using folding method, I do not welcome noise pollution during little one's nap time.

Soon after baked, J (3y4m) approached me "mama, I smell cake" and he asked for one. He had a warm muffin while I was shooting some photographs. This muffin has cake-like texture, moist and soft.

Ingredients (makes 6):

120g self-raising flour, sifted

10g cocoa powder (I used 100% cocoa), sifted

100g icing sugar, sifted

60g butter, melted

1 no. large egg, lightly beaten

80ml full-cream milk

½ tsp white vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp (heap) chocolate spread

¼ tsp instant coffee

Methods:

1. Preheat oven at 190°C.
2. To prepare sour milk, add vinegar into milk and mix well. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, bring together flour, cocoa powder and icing sugar. Whisk to mix well.
4. Make a well int the center, add in instant coffee, chocolate spread, egg and milk. Fold and mix roughly with a spatula till just combined. 
5. Add in melted butter, fold in till just combined.
6. Spoon batter into each muffin cups, 80% full,  turn the oven temperature down to 170°C and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

  

Cook's notes:

1. If using unsalted butter, add pinch salt in in step (3).
2. Preheat oven at higher temperature help to produce dome muffins. Why? It cooks the surface and prevent batter from overflowing. Correct me if I am wrong.
3. If using all-purpose flour, add 1 tsp of baking powder and sift together. 
4. Fine granulated sugar can also be used, try to dissolve it in the egg and/or milk mixture. Many recipes say we can mix it with flour (all dry ingredients) but I prefer to dissolve it first.
5. Reason of using icing sugar is that, icing sugar contains anti caking agent and other properties that help in improving the texture of muffin. More cake-like texture.