Apple Pecan Muffins

This recipe appears in Diana Henry’s superb book Roast Figs and Sugar Snow and it really is food to feed the inner man.
Although I often used buttermilk or yoghurt in cakes, this is the first time I’ve used sour cream. It produced a moist light cake and helped counteract the sweetness. I reduced the amount of sugar sprinkled on top but that was just a personal preference.
I made 12 large muffins which were voted delicious enough to appear on the croft breakfast menu.

Ingredients

• 400g plain flour
• 115g butter
• 150g soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 250g chopped cooking apple
• large egg, lightly beaten
• 25ml milk
• 200ml sour cream

Filling and topping

• 125g shelled pecans, coarsely chopped
• 125g soft brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Line a muffin tin with grease-proof paper, paper cases or lightly grease.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4).
3. Combine the ingredients for the filling/topping and set aside
4. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, rub in the butter
5. Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon and apple
6. Mix sour cream with the egg and milk, and add slowly to the other muffin ingredients
7. Stir until combined, don’t overwork. If the mix is too dry add a little more milk.
8. Add a layer of this mixture to the bottom of each compartment in the muffin tin.
9. Sprinkle over half of the filling mixture and then add the remainder of the muffin mix.
10. Sprinkle the remainder of the nut-sugar mix over the top if the muffins
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean
12. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin.