I don't think I need to tell you again how much I love peanut butter. Peanut butter and jam are one of those classic combinations that most people love including me! There's something about the salty nuttiness of peanut butter combined with the sweet jam that makes it wonderful. Why am I talking about peanut butter and jam? Well I was sent this lovely cupcake maker from find-me-a-gift.co.uk to review. It comes in a box with an instruction booklet and recipe. It states that you can make cupcakes or muffins so I chose muffins! There is 1 recipe for chocolate chip muffins in the booklet but I chose to make these instead. They were really simple to make (just mix everything together) and the muffins were delicious! A great breakfast or tea time treat.
this is what you get in the box
ready to make my mini muffins
putting them in to cook 
ready in 3 - 5 minutes! 
delicious!
Disclaimer : I was sent this product free to review but did not receive any other monetary incentive. I was not required to provide a positive review and all opinions are my own.
Pros
- It's simple and easy to use.
- It's non stick and very easy to clean.
- You can have mini cupcakes or muffins in minutes (also see con).
-No extra equipment eg cupcake cases required
- It's a great gift especially for non bakers or for kids but will still require supervision.
-It's great if you are looking for a hands on activity with the kids as you don't have to wait 20-30 minutes for the cupcakes/muffins to cook especially if you want the kids to decorate them.
-It's good for portion control as they are bite sized.
-You can still bake even if your oven is not working!
Cons
- You can only make 7 muffins at one time. 1 recipe makes about 35 mini muffins which is approximately 15-25 minutes total baking time. For me, it would have been quicker to just bake them all at once in the oven as with this I had to remove the cooked muffins every few minutes and put new batter in to cook.
Recipe adapted from nomandglug
Makes 35 mini muffins as shown (you can make 1/4 recipe which should yield 6-7 mini muffins. Here's a top tip from Andrea about quartering the egg - "Break the egg and whisk it up. Pour it into a measuring cup (usually 1 large egg is about 1/4c). Then use as much as you need (1/4 of 1/4c is 1T)"
250g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
60mls honey
60mls vegetable oil
180mls milk
1 egg
70g peanut butter (I used crunchy peanut butter)
75g strawberry jam
- Prepare the cupcake maker according to the instructions given.
- Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the honey, milk and egg.
- Add this to the flour mixture and mix well.
- Add in the peanut butter.
- Finally swirl in the strawberry jam - do not over mix.
- Cook in the cupcake maker as instructed.
Great review! I've thought pretty much your thoughts about these cupcake makers: good gift idea for non bakers OR people who like to bake with their kids (more kid friendly than an oven). But the time it takes to bake them all is a deal breaker for me.
ReplyDeleteAs far as quartering an egg goes, here's what I do when I need to scale down a recipe :) Break the egg and whisk it up. Pour it into a measuring cup (usually 1 large egg is about 1/4c). Then use as much as you need (1/4 of 1/4c is 1T). Hope that helps!
Andrea - thanks for tip on quartering the egg, I've edited my post to add it in for everyone and linked back to your blog, hope thats ok. I might use it more now I know I can just make 1 small batch!
ReplyDeleteThis cupcake maker looks like a little girl's toy! Or a doll accessory. I guess the mini cupcakes would also look great on a doll's tea table.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as Andrea wrote, I wouldn't buy it, because I couldn't be bothered to mess with refilling it 5 times. The time and comfort factor is also the reason why I sometimes put my pancake dough into a muffin pan and just shove it in the oven. That way, I don't waste my time on frying them and also save a lot of calories from oil! The muffin pancakes don't look very pretty, but still taste good!
Great review not sure I would buy one though. I think it was the right time for you to review as it would be a great substiture for when your oven is not working. SO from that persepctive perhaps a handy thing to have around!
ReplyDeleteOoh that cupcake maker does look rather good. I got a Kitchen Aid for Christmas so no more gadgets for me for a while :-( Will just have to ogle your lovely cupcakes instead!
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm back I can't wait to try out my cupcake maker. I love the recipe too, they actually look really cute without the wrappers. :)
ReplyDeleteNom! x
Mariam - great idea with the muffin pancakes, thanks!
ReplyDeletecakeboule - lol oven is working now so yay!
thelittleloaf - a KitchenAid is so much better - enjoy yours :)
Nom - thanks! Will be interested to hear what you think.
I like the review. Great looking muffin, I also love the peanut butter and jam combination.
ReplyDeleteYour muffins look scrumptious :) I'm a peanut butter lover, too. Last night we had chicken satay (basically, skewered chicken strips, bbq'ed on the grill) with peanut sauce -- yum. I think I'm in love.
ReplyDeleteOoh these look lovely!! Very tempted by a cupcakes maker now!
ReplyDeleteI've made pb&j bars bur not cupcakes. They look tasty!
ReplyDeleteGreat Review! I agree with Andrea that these cake makers do sound like a good idea for non-bakers. Its such a shame you can't make a whole batch in one go! Don't think I'll be giving up my oven just yet! And I'll definately be trying the muffins, they sound goooood :)
ReplyDeleteOh yum, what a great flavour combo! that is annoying about the cupcake maker...one of their great points they advertise is the quick baking time but as you say by the time you bake your whole batch you would have been better off with an oven! I even saw a brownie maker like these in Comet today that baked 6 brownie squares but again I didn't see the point if you can't bake up a whole batch!
ReplyDeleteWOW, love it :D
ReplyDeleteGood review BakingAddict - gotta say, I don't think a cupcake maker review is for me all the same - personally, I actually really like cupcake cases - I think they look really pretty on the cake, and I always think that there comes a time when one really starts to collect too many gadgets. Heck, they even make kitchen gadgets to boil eggs these days... The simplest of things - dump them in a pan of water and boil up, and people need a gadget for it? :(
ReplyDeleteIn any case - the cupcakes look wonderful, I agree with you on the flavour combination. Hopefully I'll get around to giving them a try with my "boring, conventional oven" :)
Words of Deliciousness - thanks, peanut butter and jam is a really good combination :)
ReplyDeleteLynn - thanks, your chicken satay sounds delicious!
princeproductions - thanks, are you going to get one?
yummychunklet - must try pb&j bars!
Kate - I agree. Do try out the recipe though, its good :)
Cupcake Crazy Gem - thanks! yes quick baking for 7 mini muffins! Someone else told me about the brownie maker on twitter but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy one!
LoLy - thanks :)
Charles - I agree with you on the gadgets although I'm a bit of a gadget-holic!! I think these will taste great in the oven which is how I'm making them next time!
A very fair and honest review (they are never easy are they?) and a great combo of flavours. I also really like the idea of mini muffins - I could fool myself into believing I was being healthy lol
ReplyDeleteThere were so many of these little machines around this year...but I think I like my good old oven...Good for small batches though or an apartment or dorm! And they are all so colorful and cute!
ReplyDeleteI bought a similar one of these for a friend for Christmas as she has literally never baked (and lives on her own). The one I got cost slightly more from this one (it was from Robert Dyas) but it's bigger - I think it makes a dozen cakes at a time. I didn't realise this one you reviewed came with a recipe that made enough cakes you'd have to use the gadget four times over - seems a bit daft not to give a recipe with the right amount for one batch!
ReplyDeleteI hope my friend likes hers anyway but I guess I won't know if she's actually using it!
Chele - I agree, it is hard to write a fair and honest review! I tell myself it's good portion control too... before I scoff 2 or 3 at one time ;D
ReplyDeleteCarrie - I love my oven too and feel more like a 'baker' using an oven! :)
Caroline - I hope your friend likes hers too. The recipe supplied was just a choc chip muffin so I decided to use my own recipe instead!
Your PJ&J muffins caught my eye. So adorable, I love baking PB&J goods for my kids!
ReplyDelete