The banana muffin just upped its sass factor. I’ve taken a childhood favourite banana muffin recipe from my legendary Aunty B and thrown in a few of my favourite things; success! These muffins are made with vegetable oil and wholemeal flour, and each warm bite is fluffy, moist and full of juicy blueberries. Topped with a generous dollop of lime cream cheese frosting and crunchy coconut flakes, these babies promise comfort, scrumptiousness and a little zing. And they are super easy to bake, the muffin recipe is one-bowl and there ain’t no funny business. Just pure and sweet cakey goodness.
I had intended to use lemon zest in the frosting (now seems painfully typical) but we were distressingly out of lemons on this day. That legendary Aunty B I mentioned earlier said that limes would work just as well, and boy oh boy was she onto something. I also photographed these in her lounge room, so really she deserves a mountain of credit for everything that is wonderful about this recipe. What would we do without Aunty B? Have fun in your aprons friends!
Banana and Blueberry Muffins with Lime and Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Banana and Blueberry Muffins
- 140 g raw caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 125 mL oil (olive, rice bran, vegetable etc.)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 whole bananas)
- 200 g wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 100 g blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw if frozen)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 150 g cream cheese
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 400 g icing sugar, sifted
- zest of 2 limes (about 2 teaspoons)
- 40 g coconut
METHOD
Banana and Blueberry Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F fan-forced. Line a regular sized muffin tray with 9 cases.
- Beat the sugar and egg on high speed for 5 minutes, until slightly thick and pale. Turn the beater to low speed, and gradually add the oil and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the banana and beat again for 30 seconds to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, bicarb soda, baking powder and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together until just combined. At the last minute, fold in the blueberries very gently (especially if frozen) to prevent them from bleeding into the batter.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the 9 prepared cases, so that they are about 1/2-2/3 full.
- Bake on the oven’s central rack for 20-25 minutes (mine are perfect after 22!), then leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing from the tray and leaving to cool completely. If preferred, remove the muffins from their cases before frosting. Do this before they’ve cooled completely, as it’s easier to remove the cases from warm muffins.
- Spread the coconut flakes over a lined oven tray, and bake for 2-3 minutes until just browned.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for 5-10 minutes until pale, thick and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly.
- Turn the beater to low speed, and gradually add the icing sugar spoonful at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the lime zest and then beat on high speed for 5 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
- Dollop a spoonful of frosting on each muffin, and decorate with a few toasted coconut flakes. Voila!
Refrigerate the muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but best eaten on the day of baking.
one perfect mess 
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