Ireland is the country of rainbows. I have never seen more rainbows anywhere else and, before you say anything, it is not because it rains all the time but because after every lash of rain the sun will come out and the rainbow crowns the sky. Rainbow spotting is a must on my bucket list of things to do in Ireland and more often than not you are bound to see not one but two or three at the same time. And who knows, if you get lucky you might even find the mythical Leprechaun lurking at the end of the rainbow with a pot of gold just for you.
If you want the splash of colour in the kitchen – whatever the weather – these rainbow muffins are fun to make, if a bit messy, and are sure to impress. No one – big or small – will resist the intense mix of colours. Obviously, they are full of chemicals but every now and then it is no harm to get a bit hyper. 
I came across those bright muffins at one of the bake sale at work. The baking level was always really high there and yet the little vivid treats that Janice brought that day stood out and hit the right spot. I was very happy to get the recipe and when I tried it for the first time it turned out actually very easy and well, a piece of cake. I halved the ingredients of the original recipe and following Janice advice skipped the frosting so that everyone can see the twisting colours on the top.
Rainbow muffins
(adopted from Dan Lepard’s recipe)
makes 12 regular muffins or 36 mini muffins
100g unsalted butter, softened
25ml sunflower oil
75g creme fraiche
175g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
235g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
A rainbow of food colouring
Frosting – optional
75g creme fraiche
3 -5 tbs icing sugar
Heat the oven to 180 °C.
Beat the butter, oil, creme fraiche and sugar together until smooth and thick.
Add in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time and combine well.
Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix in evenly, then divide equally into bowls (three to five will work best), depending on the number of different colours you have.
Slowly – drop by drop – fold in the colour of choice into each bowl and beat until combined. The colours will be really intense at this stage but will subdue while baking.
Arrange the paper muffin cases in a muffin tray. Dollop a teaspoon of each colured dough into each muffin case. Be careful not to mix the colours.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the cake pulls out clean. Do not overbake as they will loose the bright colour at the top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
If you want to have cupcakes rather than muffins make the frosting by beating the creme fraiche with a few tablespoons of icing sugar. It should be smooth and yet still hold its shape. Swirl on the top of the cakes and decorate with rainbow sprinkles.
Happy Paddy’s Day
Sonia's Storyge 