Cake Muffins Worth Queueing for at Shunfu Market

Knowing that I bake muffins, a friend recommended me to try the muffins from Chocolat N' Spice at Shunfu market.  He said Shunfu market - a neighbourhood hawker center,  is famous because of the muffin store.  The snake queue in front of  the muffin store has become an unique scenery of this quiet hawker center.

People queueing for muffins? Out of curiosity, I dropped by the store one day during lunch time. Over the one hour stay at the hawer center, I observed an average of 8-9 people in the queue. It has never shortened until all the muffins were sold out.  I bought one box of 6 muffins of different flavours,  priced from $1.30 to $1.60 each.  I chose Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Banana Walnut,  Blueberry, Mocha and Cheese . These freshly baked muffins are large, soft with golden domed top, so enticing. Shared with colleagues, everyone was asking me when I would make the next the trip down. Each of them would like to order one box!  The following week, I brought 6 boxes of muffins to office. That should tell you how much we like it.

As a home baker,  my story does not just end here. I started my own muffin baking experiment.  Unlike the muffins I baked in the past,  which have bread-like texture, Chocolat N' Spice muffins are more cake-like. I tried several recipes, adjusted here and there.  It took me a few batches of muffins before finally setteled with my own recipe.  I use butter, yogurt and brown sugar, which make the muffins soft, moist, and spongy. With nicely browned mushroom cap, Little Joy Factory muffins are also hard to resist!

Recall the first time when I brought home one box of muffins from Shunfu market, they were gone in minutes. Yesterday, I bought another box home. After one day, there were still 4 left in the box.  I was told that my Little Joy Factory muffins now taste better! That's really a nice compliment :)

The recipe I shared with you here is for the basic cake-like muffin.  Just add your favorite  toppings such as walnuts, dried fruits,  chocolate chips ...  it will work wonderfully.  Thanks Chocolat N' Spice for the inspiration!


CAKE MUFFINS

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter,  softened
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (200ml) sour cream / plain yogurt (full or reduced fat)
• Dried berries or any toppings as you like

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 200 DegC.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. 
3. In the bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream or yogurt.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and dried berries. Mix until just combined.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and fill until rim. Sprinkle some dried berries on top of the batter.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes. Tune oven temperature down to 180 DegC, continue for another 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and serve warm.