I love the middle of the month. It’s when my BakedIn Baking Club subscription box lands on my doormat! The excitement as I hear the thud as it lands, the sight of the lovely bright green box, the anticipation of what might be inside this month, and then the satisfaction of being able to make something I might not normally bake, and finally the joy of eating it. Yes, I definitely love the middle of the month.
The May box was a perfect Spring box. I always think of lemons as Spring and Summer fruits, even though they’re not. It’s just that this is when I most enjoy them and find them most refreshing in recipes. This lemon and poppy seed muffin recipe called for 3 lemons, so I knew I was going to love it! I already have a go-to recipe for lemon drizzle cakes (THIS ONE) so I was intrigued to see how much the BakedIn recipe would vary. Obviously the fact they were muffins meant they would probably be denser than light cupcakes, but only slightly. I was actually surprised at how light these muffins were! The poppy seeds added a lovely texture and broke up the lemon taste beautifully.
The recipe said to grease a muffin tin well with plenty of butter. I normally make muffins in paper cases so was going to use some for these, but as I like to follow the recipes the way they were intended, I decided against the cases. I’m so glad I did. I have to confess though, the amount of butter that the recipe instructed to use to grease the tin seemed a lot, so stupid old me thought just a fraction of the amount would be fine. I should have known these recipes are tried and tested before being sent out, so if a recipe says you need x amount of butter, you really do!!! Needless to say my first attempt at these muffins tasted delicious but looked… erm… well let’s just say Mary Berry would have called them “informal”. They were how Mary Berry likes her tipples… bottomless 😉
Luckily Tesco is a stone’s throw away from my house so off I popped to get more lemons. After greasing the pan the way the recipe said this time, I made another batch of these muffins and they came out perfectly! The lemon fragrance as they were baking was so beautiful. There are some baking smells more than others that I wish could be bottled up and sold as air fresheners. The smell from these muffins was one of those. So inviting.
My usual lemon drizzle recipe involves the baked, still warm cakes having a lemon syrup poured over them so it soaks in. This muffin recipe made a lovely crunchy syrup to pour on, and that was so good. The icing to pipe on top was the same as I am used to making. I really loved all the textures in these muffins; the lightness of the actual cake, with the crunchiness of the seeds and the sugary topping. It all resulted in a match made in heaven. And sadly, as with all BakedIn bakes so far, these didn’t last long. Fortunately though BakedIn make sure they give you all the measurements on the recipe card so you can make them again in the future. I’ll definitely be making more of these. I have some oranges begging to be used up too so I might try orange and poppy seed ones.
If you are new to my blog, I’ve just realised you’re probably wondering what the BakedIn Baking Club is! Well it is an amazing subscription box which sends you all the dry ingredients and bits and pieces needed to follow a beautiful recipe created exclusively by the great chef Michel Roux. For example, take a look at the May box:
All the dry ingredients come already weighed out for convenience. If part of the recipe requires a few dry ingredients to be added at the same time, then those ingredients are placed together in one packet. There is always a very clear recipe card with photos of every step so you can see you’re on the right track. Michel Roux adds a Top Tip to either help with a tricky part of the bake or to suggest ways to enhance it even further. As well as the dry ingredients you always get a butter measure, and in this box there was also a skewer to test when the muffins were ready, and a disposable piping bag for the icing to decorate. Obviously they can’t send things like eggs and butter as they would be a logistical nightmare to keep chilled and whole, but they always tell you in advance what you will need to buy yourself.
Sometimes you get a little treat added to the box, as if the bake isn’t enough of a treat! BakedIn do like to make you feel valued, so these treats are such lovely gestures. In past boxes there have been tea temples and gourmet marshmallows. The May box had a tea temple from teapigs included as a treat. Mine was rooibos creme caramel flavoured, which won a Great Taste award in 2014. You could see little chunks of caramel in among the tea leaves! I have to say I loved this tea so much. It was beautiful and sweet and the flavour was just wonderful. I saved it until the house was empty and the dog was having a nap. Tea like this demands your undivided attention!
If you fancy trying the BakedIn Baking Club for yourself, it costs just £7.99 per month which includes delivery! It really is great value. BakedIn also appreciate that it can be frustrating when you sign up to a subscription box as you often have to wait almost a month to receive the first one, depending on when you signed up. To get rid of this annoying factor, when you sign up with BakedIn they send you a fantastic kit straight away to get you baking within 5 days of joining. This first kit is for double chocolate whoopie pies and it is absolutely scrumptious! You then receive the next box at the same time as everyone else, and every month after.
BakedIn recently started a Baking Club group on Facebook too, which you can only join if you are a subscriber. The group is fantastic! You can share photos of your bakes, ask any questions you might have… everyone in the group is so friendly and supportive. Special offers and discounts sometimes pop up in there too so it’s well worth joining!
If you would like to subscribe to the Baking Club, click HERE to go to their website. Happy Baking! 🙂
DISCLAIMER: I pay fully for my subscription and BakedIn don’t ask me to write posts for them. I choose to though as it is a subscription I highly recommend and a company I love. All views and opinions are my own.
Confarreo 