The fragrance and flavor that fresh strawberries lend to any kind of cake is heavenly, which is why I advocate putting them in muffins. They do give off a little bit of moisture inside the muffin while they bake, but I’ve found that if I let the muffins cool completely, the resulting texture is perfect. With the addition of crystallized ginger, the flavor here is lovely. The muffins keep at room temperature, well-wrapped, for a couple of days.
Makes 12
- 9 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour (plus more for tossing with ginger)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups ¼-inch diced strawberries (about 8 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
For the topping
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt (or sour cream), melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Lightly stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together; do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
5. Toss the minced ginger with a teaspoon or two of flour and separate the clumps with your fingers. Add the ginger and the diced strawberries (leaving behind any juices the berries have accumulated) to the batter. Gently stir just until well distributed.
6. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, using the back of a spoon or a small spatula to settle the batter into the cups. The batter should mound a bit higher than the tops of the cups.
7. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Sprinkle a generous half-teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin.
8. Bake the muffins until they’re golden-brown, spring back most of the way when gently pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift the muffins out of the pan – if necessary, loosen them with the tip of a paring knife – and let them cool completely. While they are delicious warm, they will set up better if allowed to cool to room temp.
You can always rewarm them gently.
