Muffins Made from Fresh Baguio Fruits

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First time time drive 6 hours to the Summer Capital, Baguio last week. Bummer we got there in the middle of monsoon rains so didn't really get to go around and eat out. :(

Went to the wet market near Session Road and bought a lot of produce. Been wanting to go strawberry picking in Benguet but then again, weather was really bad. Even the strawberries at the market were not as good - not sweet enough, and easily bruised. But then still shopped around and here are my finds which I will use for recipes in my succeeding posts.

Clockwise from top: Avocado, Chico (Sapodilla), Big Eggplants , Spanish Tomatoes

Really excited to cook with those. Let's start with muffins using the fresh strawberries and avocados. :)

FRESH STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 cup crushed strawberries (with juice)
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and line muffin pans.

2. Cream together butter and sugar with a wire whisk.

3. Beat together with eggs, adding each one at a time.

4. With a spatula, fold in dry ingredients with the milk in 2 portions (for easier handling). Do not over mix.

5. Add in the strawberries and mix until well distributed.

6. Scoop onto muffin pans, 3/4 full to allow rising. Bake inside the oven for 18-20 minutes (regular sized muffins) or 35 minutes (large muffins).

Here is the finished product. Nice browning to give it a country style look. Each bite is filled with fresh strawberry goodness with bits or fruit in the crumbly cake. Good for breakfast or snacking. Makes 6 really large ones or 18 regular sized muffins.

FRESH AVOCADO CUSTARD CAKE
(Practically the same recipe but yields slightly different results)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 cup mashed avocados
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and line muffin pans.

2. Mash avocados together with the vinegar (to preserve the green color and help the cake to rise)

3. Cream the sugar and butter with a whisk.

4. Add eggs one at a time until well blended.

5. Alternately add the milk and dry ingredients and fold until incorporated in the batter.

6. Add avocado and mix until well distributed. Do not overbeat.

7. Scoop onto muffin pans, 3/4 full to allow rising. Bake inside the oven for 20-22 minutes (regular sized muffins) or 40 minutes (large muffins). These take slightly longer to brown and rise. Test for doneness using a toothpick - should come out clean when inserted at the center.

The creaminess of the avocado makes it a dense cake (that's why me changing the name from a muffin to a custard cake). At first, it seems weird to have avocado in cake but the bright green flavor (almost like green tea latte) of the avocado and its creamy texture is something worth trying. Maybe next time, since the flavors are very mellow, I will top it off with a chocolate ganache or add dark chocolate chips in the batter. That would be a nice contrast.

Thinking of breakfast today, try these out and bring the freshness of Baguio to the table! :)