Sailor Jack muffins are moist, deeply spiced cakes from the Pacific Northwest, baked with raisins, oats, and molasses. Turn them upside down for their signature sweet glaze. They're wonderful with a cup of coffee.
Why You'll Love Sailor Jack Muffins
A quick stovetop raisin-and-spice mixture gives these old-fashioned cakes their distinctive flavor. Whole wheat flour and oats add texture, while a simple glaze coats the rounded bottoms after baking.
- Deep spice flavor: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves make these little cakes stand out from ordinary muffins.
- Raisin and oat texture: Soft raisins and rolled oats give every bite something extra.
- Signature upside-down glaze: Dipping the rounded bottoms gives Sailor Jacks their familiar bakery-style finish.
What Are Sailor Jack Muffins?
Sailor Jacks are old-fashioned, raisin-studded spice cakes associated with bakeries along the Pacific Northwest coast. They are particularly well known at the historic Cottage Bakery in Long Beach, Washington. Despite the maritime name, their precise origin is uncertain. The cakes are commonly baked in muffin pans and glazed upside down.
Ingredients Overview
Brown and granulated sugars, molasses, raisins, and a generous blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give Sailor Jacks their deep flavor. Whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and oats form the batter; oil and egg keep the cakes moist.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Sailor Jack Muffins
These muffins start with a briefly simmered raisin and spice mixture that cools before being folded into the batter. After baking, the cakes are turned upside down and glazed. Follow the photos below for each stage.
Step 1: Combine both sugars, salt, spices, water, raisins, and molasses in a saucepan.
Step 2: Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat as needed and simmer for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
💡 Pro Tip - Cool the Raisin Mixture
Let the simmered raisin mixture cool for about 10 minutes before mixing with the remaining ingredients so the heat does not begin cooking the egg.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan well. Do not use paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, baking soda, and baking powder.
Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, beat the egg with the oil.
Step 4: Add the egg and oil to the dry ingredients, followed by the cooled raisin and spice mixture.
Step 5: Stir gently just until no dry flour remains. Stop mixing as soon as the batter comes together.
Step 6: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin wells, filling each about three-quarters full.
Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes, checking the centers with a toothpick. A few moist crumbs are fine; there should be no wet batter.
Step 7: Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then gently release the cakes onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet, rounded bottoms facing up. Let them cool further before glazing.
Step 8: Whisk the powdered sugar and water together until smooth and thick enough to coat the cakes.
Dip each rounded bottom into the glaze, turning slightly to coat the top and upper sides, then return it to the rack.
Use any remaining glaze for a second coating, if desired. Let stand about 30 minutes, or until the glaze sets.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Sailor Jack muffins with hot coffee or tea for breakfast, an afternoon break, or a sweet snack. Their spiced, raisin-studded crumb is especially welcome during cool fall weather, but they're a Northwest bakery favorite any time of year.
Substitutions and Variations
These options let you adjust the texture or finish without changing the basic method:
- Quick oats: Use quick oats instead of old-fashioned rolled oats for a less noticeable oat texture.
- Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar works; dark brown sugar adds a stronger molasses note.
- Raisin choice: Use golden raisins for a milder fruit flavor, though the appearance will be slightly different.
- Citrus glaze: Replace some of the glaze water with lemon juice for a tart finish. This changes the original plain glaze.
Tips for Success
A few small details make a difference with these spiced cakes:
- Grease the pan thoroughly: Sailor Jacks are glazed upside down, so the cakes need to release cleanly.
- Simmer gently: Keep the raisin mixture at a low boil for the full five minutes without letting it scorch.
- Cool before combining: The cooked spice mixture should no longer be hot when it meets the egg.
- Mix by hand: Stop stirring once the flour disappears to avoid a tough crumb.
- Watch for moist crumbs: Check the centers rather than baking until the toothpick is completely dry.
Storage Options
Let the glaze set completely before putting the cakes away.
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, separating layers with parchment if the glaze is tacky.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 5 days if your kitchen is especially warm; bring to room temperature to serve.
- Freezer: Freeze completely cooled cakes in a sealed container for up to 2 months. For the neatest finish, freeze before glazing and glaze after thawing.
Related Recipes
- Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze
- Banana Pineapple Bread
- Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
Frequently Asked Questions
They are often called muffins because they bake in a muffin pan, but their sweet, moist, richly spiced crumb is closer to a small cake.
The rounded bottoms become the tops when the cakes are turned out. Dipping that surface in glaze gives them their distinctive finish.
Yes. A whisk and wooden spoon are all you need, and mixing by hand helps prevent overworking the batter.
These cakes contain sugar and raisins, so they can cling to an under-greased pan. Grease every well thoroughly and allow about 10 minutes of cooling before releasing them.
Yes. Store the unglazed cakes covered at room temperature overnight, then dip them in freshly mixed glaze before serving.
Yes. You can replace the whole wheat flour with an equal amount of all-purpose flour. The cakes will have a lighter crumb and a milder wheat flavor, but the raisins, molasses, oats, and spices will still provide plenty of flavor.
More Muffins and Quick Breads
Recipe
Sailor Jack Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin Pan, Traditional
Ingredients
For the Sailor Jack cakes
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar dark or light
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats or quick for less texture
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
For the glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Make the Sailor Jacks
- Make the raisin and spice mixture by combining the first ten ingredients - granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, water, raisins, and molasses in a saucepan.½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 cup water, ½ cup raisins, 2 tablespoons molasses
- Stir to mix and heat over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Adjust the heat to keep it at a low boil for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray. Do not use cupcake liners for these muffins.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, baking soda, and baking powder.1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup rolled oats, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Whisk all these dry ingredients together and then, in another bowl or measuring cup, beat the egg and oil together.½ cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg
- Add the egg and oil to the dry ingredients along with the cooled raisin and spice mixture.
- Stir with a wooden spoon just until the ingredients come together. You don't want to over mix and risk getting a tough and dry muffin.
- Fill the muffin wells about ¾ full, dividing the batter evenly among the 12 muffin wells.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. A toothpick inserted into the centers should come out with just a couple crumbs sticking to the toothpick.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then tip them out on to a cooling rack that is set over a sheet tray. Keep them bottoms up. Let them cool a little longer.
Make the Glaze
- Prepare the glaze while the cakes cool by mixing the powdered sugar and water into a drizzle glaze that this still thick.2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup water
- Dip the bottom of the cakes into the glaze and swirl to get an even coating on the bottom and up the sides and return to the wire rack.
- Use any leftover glaze to drizzle over the tops for a second coating. Let sit 30 minutes or until the glaze sets up.
Notes
- Grease the pan thoroughly: Sailor Jacks are glazed upside down, so the cakes need to release cleanly.
- Simmer gently: Keep the raisin mixture at a low boil for the full five minutes without letting it scorch.
- Cool before combining: The cooked spice mixture should no longer be hot when it meets the egg.
- Mix by hand: Stop stirring once the flour disappears to avoid a tough crumb.
- Watch for moist crumbs: Check the centers rather than baking until the toothpick is completely dry.
Nutrition
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Kelly says
Delicious, I'm making this again!