Plum and Ginger Muffins

I never seem to run out of recipes to use my victoria plum harvest they are such a lovely flavour.  These muffins are delicious and even with the addition of ginger you can still taste the plums.

When they were baked and still warm I brushed the top of each one with ginger syrup, from a jar of stem ginger, then sprinkled over some demerara sugar for a crunchy topping.

For the muffins

10 oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground mixed spice
4 oz sugar
5 fl oz milk
5 fl oz buttermilk
1 egg
2 fl oz vegetable oil

1 tbsp stem ginger syrup

1 small piece stem ginger, very finely chopped

6 oz plums (victoria if you can get them), stoned and chopped

For the topping (optional)
1 tbsp ginger syrup
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/gas 5

Place paper muffin cases inside a muffin tin

Seive together the flour, baking powder, bicarb, ginger, salt and mixed spice.

Place all the wet ingredients (oil, milk, buttermilk, ginger syrup and egg) in a separate bowl and mix together.

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour, spices and powders then gently mix together until the flour has been incorporated (the mixture should be lumpy).

Gently fold in the chopped fruit and stem ginger.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tops are spongy and the muffins are golden brown.

Remove from the oven.  If you are making the crunchy topping, this is the time to do it.