Vanilla Muffin with a Black Cherry Heart

I can provide you with a recipe for delicious vanilla muffins with a black cherry heart. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

• 150 g of all-purpose flour
• 100 g of granulated sugar
• 120 ml of milk
• 80 ml of seed oil or soft butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 packet of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
• Candied black cherries as needed (one for each muffin)
• Powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and prepare a muffin tin by lining the holes with paper cups.
2. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg with the sugar until you have a light and frothy mixture.
4. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla seeds (or extract) to the egg and sugar mixture, and mix well.
5. Add the milk and oil (or the soft butter) to the batter, then fold in the sifted flour, stirring gently to avoid lumps.
6. Fill the muffin cups about halfway with the batter.
7. Place a candied black cherry in the center of each muffin.
8. Cover the black cherries with more batter until the cups are 3/4 full.
9. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool before dusting with powdered sugar if desired.

The addition of the black cherry heart gives these muffins a delicious surprise and a pleasant contrast between the sweetness of the vanilla and the tanginess of the black cherry. Moreover, if you want an even more Italian touch, you could serve these muffins with a scoop of cream ice cream for an even richer dessert.

Curiosity

The black cherry is a fruit typical of Italy, particularly from the Modena and Bologna areas. It is famous for being used in the production of syrups and liqueurs and represents a true excellence of the territory.