Did you know that I used to co-own a cafe, for a short while? I did! It was called Blue Heaven and it was on Bridge Road in Richmond back when Bridge Road in Richmond was a thriving strip. I left a job at a catering company to start this milk-bar-turned-cafe with a friend-of-a-friend. Readers, I’m here to tell you that I loved it!
Rin and I lived upstairs where we’d lie in bed in the dark early morning, listening to the roller door downstairs rumble as various deliveries were dropped off. I used to do a bunch of the cafe’s cooking, much preferring to be back of house rather than out the front.
I cooked breakfasts to order and made lunchy things and sandwich filling things and also helped to make the cakes. I mopped a lot of floors and washed a lot of dishes as we didn’t have a commercial dishwasher. I also made muffins. These muffins and they have been a favourite of mine since way back then.
They’re super easy to whip up, an excellent muffin base to tool around with and even more fancy if you throw in a handful of chocolate chips. Note that I topped each muffin with a tiny sprinkle of coffee sugar crystals for extra crunch, in case that sounds good to you.
It’s me. Hi. All those early mornings called for low-maintenance hair, clearly!
Here is the recipe, complete with the fancy handful.
Raspberry Muffins a la Blue Heaven Café
450 grams plain flour
250g white sugar
200g melted butter
150g frozen raspberries
2 cups of milk
2 eggs
2.5 teaspoons baking power
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
An extra 1/4 cup of sugar
- Preheat oven at 200C/400
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In another bowl or large jug mix together the butter, milk, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.
- Make a well in the centre of the floury mix and stir in the butter/milk mix until just combined.
- Gently fold in the raspberries.
- Spoon into 12 muffin cases.
- Sprinkle the tops with extra sugar.
- Bake for 25 to 30 mins. They should be nicely risen and golden with crunchy tops.
NB: Add a quarter of a cup of white or milk or dark chocolate chips for some extra goodness. Or switch the raspberries for blackberries, even?
Love to you and your people,
xx Pip
I remember Blue Heaven so fondly! It was my loungeroom back when I lived on the corner of Bridge and Punt road in 2001.
I arrived in Melbourne on my own and knowing no-one, so I wandered on down Bridge road to see what I could see.
The owners were so kind , and I just got welcomed into the vivid life of the place in my first week. It was quite a community and just what I needed. People stood on chairs to issue invitations to gigs to whoever was up for it. Others stood on chairs to recite poetry they’d written the previous night. With a mouthful of mufffin.
Pip, I ate sooo many of those muffins. They are the standard to which all others are held to!
how gorgeous you are !