Y S Lee, Author of Young Adult, Historical and Mystery Novels

The following post has nothing at all to do with Victorian London, Mary Quinn, detective fiction, or, indeed, books. Instead, it’s a recipe for Lian. These muffins are dairy- and egg-free, but moist and fluffy and delicious nonetheless.

A prefatory note: this is a North American recipe in which ingredients are measured pseudo-scientifically in cups. By volume, a cup is 250ml/8oz. A cup of flour weighs about 140g/5oz; a cup of sugar about 225g/8oz. Thanks, Fannie Farmer.

Vegan Carrot Muffins (makes 18)

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
half a nutmeg, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons flax seeds, ground and mixed with a generous ½ cup water; let stand until it thickens to texture of beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
4-5 cups add-ins: finely grated carrots, pineapple, apples, coconut, raisins, nuts or whatever else you fancy

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and flax seed mixture until creamy. Add vanilla and vegetable oil. Mix together wet and dry ingredients. Add carrots, etc.

Smooth batter into pans. Bake for 12-14 minutes for mini-muffins, 18-20 minutes for regular-size muffins, and about an hour for a large loaf pan.

Next week, we’ll get bookish again and take a look at German cover art.

Tags: recipes, totally irrelevant

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