Zoë's Baking Academy

Up for a little challenge?

As a cookbook author and recipe developer the most satisfying feeling is seeing people bake from my books, shows, newsletter, and website. It turns out that teaching people to bake is what I love most. I remember being so nervous to teach my first baking class in 1997, fresh out of the Culinary Institute of America and a junior pastry chef at a restaurant. I felt brand new in my craft, but I was in love with it and everyone in the room knew. By the end of the class, I was hooked. Seeing those people go from being intimidated by baking to being gleeful about what they’d made was intoxicating.

Teaching a class in 2008 in Napa, CA

In my books, Zoë Bakes Cakes and Zoë Bakes Cookies, I have a chapter called the “Academy,” where I share all the tips and tricks I learned in culinary school and while working in professional kitchens. I thought it would be fun to expand that to my newsletter and give some deeper info about baking different types of recipes. Muffins seem like a great place to begin. This blueberry muffin recipe is quite simple to make but there are some tricks to make sure these and any muffins come out just how you want.

Plus, if you participate, you’ll get a chance to win a prize, because why not!?

What is Zoë’s Baking Academy? It’s a chance for us to try a recipe together, learn some tips and tricks, and share our beautiful bakes for all to see. Plus, there’s a prize involved. First up: My Ultimate Blueberry Muffins.

Here’s how it works:

1. Before the end of May, bake my blueberry muffin recipe. I have a video of this recipe for you to watch as you bake. Don’t forget to snap a photo and/or video.

2. Show us your bake! Tag me (@zoebakes) in an in-feed post on Instagram or Facebook (it’s hard to track Stories and we may miss them) and use the hashtag #zoebakesacademy and/or #zoebakes. If you don’t use social media, you can still participate! Send an email to stephani@zoebakes.com with a photo to let us know you’re in.

3. For an extra entry into the giveaway, rate and review the recipe on ZoëBakes.com.

That’s it! We’ll draw a winner at the end of the month and announce it on social media and in this email. The winner will receive a signed copy of Zoë Bakes Cakes and a ZoëBakes linen apron.*

*I can ship to US addresses only. I hope someday to open this up to international followers as well.

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Ultimate Blueberry Muffins

For me, a blueberry muffin has to be chock full of contrasts. It should have enough sweetness to feel decadent, but balanced by the tartness of the blueberries and lemon zest. A perfect muffin also has a top with a thin crust of spiced streusel and under it is the tender muffin, stuffed with fruit. This is that muffin.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

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• Fresh or Frozen Berries: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. Just be sure to keep frozen blueberries frozen until the very last second before you stir them into the batter. This way you won’t end up with gray muffins thanks to melty blueberries. When you do add them, gently fold just enough to distribute them.

• Sinking Fruit: By adding a bit of flour to the frozen berries it will help suspend them in the batter, so they don’t all drop to the bottom of the muffin. You want berries in every bite. This is not necessary with fresh berries, because they are lighter in weight and don’t tend to sink as much, plus the flour just won’t stick to them.

• Substitutions: there are a few ingredients in this recipe that you can safely substitute. I always recommend making a half batch of a recipe if you’d like to experiment with changes, to ensure you like the outcome.

  • Flour: you can replace up to 1/2 cup (60g) of the flour with whole wheat flour or replace all the flour with a gluten-free baking blend. I have had good results with Better Batter*, Bob’s Red Mill*, Cup4Cup*, and King Arthur Baking Company’s* all-purpose GF flours.

  • Buttermilk or sour cream: Another tangy, creamy form of dairy would work, like yogurt or creme fraiche. You can make a buttermilk substitute by combining 1/2 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. whole milk with 1/2 tsp lemon juice. All of these dairy products have acid in them, which reacts to the baking soda (alkaline) to give the muffins a nice rise.

  • Dairy-Free: Use canned coconut milk with 1/2 tsp lemon juice if you want to make the muffins dairy-free. You can also swap out the butter for a non-dairy butter substitute.

  • Fruit: Experiment with the types of fruit you try. You can use any berries. I’ve also made them with peaches and rhubarb. If you use a larger fruit, be sure to chop it into 1/4”-sized pieces, so they are not too heavy. Use the flour trick to make sure the fruit doesn’t fall to the bottom of your muffins.

  • Zest: Orange, lime (this can be intense, so maybe use a little less), and/or grapefruit zest can also be a lovely option instead of lemon zest.

• The most important tip for great texture: Don’t over-mix when combining the wet and dry ingredients. If you mix too much you will activate the gluten in the flour and end up with a tough texture in your muffins, so easy does it. Just stir enough that there aren’t dry patches of flour, then gently fold in the fruit. Less is better when it comes to mixing muffins.

• Hot Bottoms: If the bottom of your muffins tend to get too dark, then set the muffin pan on a sheet pan in the oven. This will give the muffins an extra buffer from the heat and keep the baking more even. The color of the pan can also play a role in how evenly the muffin bakes. Dark pans conduct more heat and will result in a darker crust on the sides and bottom of the muffin. Gold pans* are my favorite because they bake evenly.

• People always ask where my copper muffin cups are from. They are copper souffle molds. You can also make them in a regular muffin pan, as minis, or in ceramic ramekins*, just be sure you don’t fill the cups any higher than 2/3 full or they may overflow.

  • Other equipment for this recipe: Tulip muffin papers* (optional, or use regular muffin liners*)

• These muffins freeze beautifully. When you’re ready to eat, just thaw them out and then pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes to warm them up.

• If you’re looking for a cake version, try my blueberry muffin cake recipe found in Zoë Bakes Cakes!

I can’t wait to see your muffins! Don’t forget to tag me on social and rate/review the recipe by May 31, 2024!

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