Chocolate Custard Muffins Recipe

Sunday morning we awoke to find London covered in a thick duvet of snow. Big feathery flakes had started falling before we fell asleep — the first snow of winter illuminated the city in a pure white glow. Hello? Are you listening to me wax lyrical about the enchanting affect of frozen water? No, you're fixated on the image above, the glistening, cocoa-saturated handful you want to get your teeth into, instead of hearing about the weather. Yeah, I don't blame you, (I've been eating them and you really need to soon) let's get down to the business of chocolate custard muffins.

A snowy weekend day is ideal for baking. You just want to ensconce, crank up the oven, and fill the house with comforting aromas. I did make the effort of going for a little stomp around the neighbourhood in the morning, before it all started to melt away.

 This is our neighbour's classic British car. A Morris Minor named Betty. 

I returned well-chilled and with chocolate on my mind. There was leftover Treacle Chocolate Fudge Frosting in the fridge. The recipe I'd whipped up the day before created far too much for the cake I prepared, so I was now forced — FORCED — to bake another chocolaty treat to prevent food waste.

Back to the trusty Short & Sweet baking bible by Dan Lepard for inspiration and presto there it was, a recipe that seemed destined for the occasion. Dan recommends topping these muffins with a swirl of leftover Treacle Chocolate Fudge Frosting (got plenty!) and crystallised violet petals (loads leftover from cake decorating).

Violet petals were sprinkled on a few muffins before eating, but most were kept pure unadulterated chocolate.

Chocolate Custard Muffins

Recipe by Dan Lepard

Surely it's pushing it to call these muffins. Muffins, to me anyway, are of a healthier, more savoury bent. This is basically a type of chocolate cake, in a cup. I wouldn't go so far as to label them (shudder) cupcakes however. Cupcakes make me sick. There, I said it. They are typically a revolting combination of intensely sweet icing sat atop a ridiculously over-sized dry 'cup' of cake.

So maybe that's why Dan called these muffins — they're not very sweet, they properly celebrate the flavour of chocolate, and the 'custard' mix used to bake these produces a rich, dank sponge that practically melts into chocolate pudding in your mouth.

Once they've cooled a bit you can eat them as they are, or frost with any icing you have knocking about — say Treacle Chocolate Fudge Frosting? What a good idea.

Love your Leftovers: These muffins maintain their more-ish texture for several days after they are made, just keep in air-tight container.