We have been baking muffins in the Thermomix® for years, trying every variation imaginable. The most important lesson: the order in which you mix the batter determines whether a muffin turns out light and fluffy or full of tunnels.
Pulverising the fat and sugar first, then briefly folding in the dry ingredients, prevents those notorious air channels in the middle. The Thermomix® does exactly this in 30 to 50 seconds at speed 3 to 5, whereas a hand mixer often beats for too long and activates the gluten.
Baki Coconut Muffins with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 10 ✓
- 150 g raw cane sugar
- 1 piece banana
- 150 g cherries
- 1 piece vanilla pod
- 140 g coconut milk
- 80 g rapeseed oil
- 20 g desiccated coconut
- 300 g flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Pulverise the sugar.
Add the sugar to the mixing bowl and pulverise for 10 sec / speed 10.
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2
Prepare the fruit.
Peel the banana, wash and stone the cherries. Slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds.
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3
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom heat.
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4
Mix the batter.
Add all the ingredients except the cherries to the mixing bowl and mix for 30 sec / speed 5.
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5
Fold in the cherries.
Add the cherries to the mixing bowl and fold in for 5 sec / speed 3.
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6
Bake.
Line a muffin tin with cases and fill with the batter. Bake on the middle shelf for 20 to 25 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
Why muffins turn out better in the Thermomix®
The mixing bowl stirs from the bottom upwards. This means fatty ingredients (butter, oil, yoghurt) are worked evenly into the batter without creating air bubbles. With a hand mixer you tend to beat from above and pull air in, which leads to tunnels in the oven.
Speed matters: speed 3 to 5 is enough for all muffin batters. Speed 6 or higher would overwork the batter and activate the gluten in the flour. The result would be tough, rubbery muffins instead of light ones.
We only use reverse direction at speed 2 when folding in fruit or chocolate chips. This prevents squashing and keeps berries or cherries in whole pieces.
Muffin or cupcake: the only difference
A muffin is a cupcake without a topping. The batter is identical. Add buttercream, cream cheese frosting or ganache to a baked muffin and you have a cupcake.
We eat muffins plain or with a light dusting of icing sugar. Cupcakes get a creamy topping, often piped with a star nozzle. The base stays the same: a light sponge batter that is ready in the Thermomix® in under a minute.
Baking time and temperature: the 25-minute mark
All four recipes below bake at 180°C top and bottom heat. The time ranges from 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the cases and the proportion of fruit in the batter.
A skewer test after 20 minutes will tell you whether the muffin is done. A clean wooden skewer means it is baked through. If batter still sticks, give it another 3 to 5 minutes.
With muffins containing blueberries, cherries or pineapple, the baking time often extends by 5 minutes because the fruit releases moisture. This is normal and not a mistake.
Gluten-free muffins: maize flour instead of wheat flour
The raspberry and apple muffins further down are completely gluten-free. Instead of plain flour we use 200 g maize flour plus 50 g potato starch, along with ground almonds for binding.
Without gluten there is no elasticity, as wheat dough has. You therefore need buttermilk or yoghurt for moisture and bicarbonate of soda instead of plain baking powder. The bicarbonate of soda reacts with the acid in the buttermilk and provides lift.
Gluten-free batters must not be mixed for too long. 1 minute at speed 3 is enough, otherwise the batter becomes mushy. The consistency is slightly denser than with wheat flour muffins, but not dry.
Vegan muffins: banana replaces egg
The Baki coconut muffins use one ripe banana instead of two eggs. The banana binds the batter and adds sweetness. Important: the banana must have brown spots, otherwise it is not ripe enough and the batter will taste bland.
Coconut milk and rapeseed oil replace butter and cow’s milk. The ratio of 140 g coconut milk to 80 g oil for 300 g flour gives the right fat content for a light structure.
Vegan batters need a little longer in the oven because egg normally provides quick binding. For these muffins it is 25 minutes rather than 20.
Prosecco and blueberry glaze: the alcohol does not fully evaporate
The blueberry prosecco muffins have a glaze with 1 tbsp of prosecco. This is not heated but mixed cold with icing sugar and blended blueberries.
About 85% of the alcohol remains in the glaze because it does not evaporate. These muffins are therefore not suitable for children. To leave out the alcohol entirely, replace the prosecco with apple juice or lime juice.
The blueberries in the glaze turn it violet. Pulverising at speed 10 for 20 seconds chops the berries finely enough that no pieces remain in the glaze.
Cases: paper or silicone
We use paper muffin cases because they absorb the fat, which means the muffin does not taste greasy. Silicone cases need more greasing and the muffin stays oilier on the outside.
The standard size is 5 cm in diameter at the base. Each of the recipes below makes 12 muffins of this size. Larger cases give 8 to 10 pieces, in which case the baking time increases by 5 minutes.
The muffin tin must sit on the middle shelf, not too close to the top heating element. Otherwise the surface becomes too dark before the centre is cooked through.
Four muffin variations for every season
The four recipes below cover different occasions: blueberry prosecco for adult gatherings, gluten-free raspberry and apple for intolerances, pineapple and melon for summery freshness, and Baki coconut vegan for a plant-based diet.
Every recipe works in the TM31, TM5® and TM6®. The times and speeds are identical for all three models because muffin batter does not require high temperatures.
Blueberry Prosecco Muffins
Goes well with: Butter and vanilla ice cream.
Also worth trying: Nut Kisses Thermomix®.
Blueberries and prosecco in one muffin. The violet glaze with lime zest is the visual highlight. For children’s parties, replace the prosecco with apple juice.
Gluten-Free Raspberry and Apple Muffins
Maize flour, potato starch and ground almonds instead of wheat flour. The apple slices pressed in provide structure and a visual accent.
Pineapple and Melon Muffins
A summery combination of tinned pineapple and galia melon. The lemon glaze lifts the natural sweetness of the fruit.
Baki Coconut Muffins
Vegan muffins with ripe banana, cherries and coconut milk. The vanilla pod provides real flavour, not an artificial vanilla substitute.
More muffin recipes: Poppy Seed and Apricot Muffins, Basic Recipe for Thermomix® Muffins, Chocolate Muffins.
