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 fluffy or full of tunnels.
Pulverising the fat and sugar first and briefly folding in the dry ingredients afterwards prevents those notorious air channels in the middle. The Thermomix® does exactly this in 30 to 50 seconds at speed 3 to 5, whereas hand mixers often beat for too long and activate the gluten.
Blueberry Prosecco Muffins with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 9 ✓
- 200 g sugar
- 1 piece lime
- 150 g blueberries
- 70 g Prosecco
- 300 g flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 130 g butter softened
- 80 g milk
- 2 piece eggs
Instructions 0 / 7
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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
Blend lime juice and blueberries.
Wash the lime in hot water, pat dry and grate a little zest with a fine grater for decoration. Juice the lime and add the juice to the mixing bowl. Wash and sort the blueberries. Add 10 g of blueberries and 1 tbsp of Prosecco to the mixing bowl and blend for 20 sec / speed 10. Set aside 3 tbsp of the mixture for the glaze.
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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 the remaining ingredients, except the blueberries, to the mixing bowl and mix for 50 sec / speed 3.
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5
Fold in the blueberries.
Add the blueberries and fold in for 15 sec / reverse direction / speed 2.
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6
Fill the muffin cases.
Line a muffin tin with paper cases, fill with the batter and bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
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7
Decorate.
Brush the muffins with the glaze and garnish with lime zest.
Tip: Make a buttercream with blueberries and Prosecco to turn your muffins into cupcakes.
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 hand mixers you tend to beat from above and draw 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 crushing 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 swirl on top, often piped with a star nozzle. The base stays the same: a light, loose batter that the Thermomix® has ready 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 range is 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the cases and the amount of fruit in the batter.
The skewer test after 20 minutes shows 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 below are completely gluten-free. Instead of plain flour we use 200 g maize flour plus 50 g potato starch, with ground almonds for binding.
Without gluten there is none of the elasticity that wheat dough has. That is why you need buttermilk or yoghurt for moisture and bicarbonate of soda rather than plain baking powder. The bicarbonate reacts with the acid in the buttermilk and provides lightness.
Gluten-free batters must not be mixed for too long. 1 minute at speed 3 is enough, otherwise the batter turns stodgy. The consistency is slightly denser than wheat flour muffins, but not dry.
Vegan muffins: banana replaces egg
The Baki coconut muffins use a ripe banana instead of two eggs. The banana binds the batter and adds sweetness. Important: the banana must have brown spots, otherwise it lacks ripeness 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 per 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 fast binding. These muffins take 25 minutes rather than 20.
Prosecco blueberry glaze: alcohol does not fully evaporate
The blueberry Prosecco muffins have a glaze with 1 tbsp of Prosecco. It is not heated but mixed cold with icing sugar and blended blueberries.
Around 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. Blending 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 stops the muffin tasting greasy. Silicone cases need more grease and the muffin stays oilier on the outside.
Standard size is 5 cm diameter at the base. Each of the recipes below makes 12 muffins of this size. Larger cases yield 8 to 10 pieces, and 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 darkens 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 dietary needs, pineapple and melon for summery freshness, and Baki coconut vegan for plant-based eating.
Every recipe works in the TM31, TM5® and TM6®. The times and speeds are identical across all three models because muffin batter requires no 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 birthday 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 wedges pressed in give 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 delivers real flavour, not a vanilla substitute.
More muffin recipes: Poppy Seed and Apricot Muffins, basic recipe for Thermomix® Muffins, Chocolate Muffins.
