St. Martin's Day Muffins

This is a recipe my mother created. It is based from the recipe she makes every year in November, {St. Martin's Day Bread} . This is a bread flavored with orange and chock-full of plump, juicy raisins. The bread is delicious, especially warm form the oven, but it is a bit of work and a lengthy process. Despite it not being November, my mother made these similarly-tasting muffins. She didn't even tell me what they were, but from the first bite I was instantly reminded of her St. Martin's Day Bread. They definitely taste just like the bread, but moister and more compact. It is a good, yeast-free, quick-rise substitute for the bread without sacrificing any flavor. And the muffins are so rich, they don't even need a dab of butter!

St. Martin's Day Muffins
1/2 cup raisins + water to cover
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
zest of one large orange

Place the raisins in a bowl with enough water to cover and allow to soak overnight. Drain, but do not discard water. 
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, and milk. Stir in remaining ingredients except raisins until just combined. Stir in raisins. If mixture seems dry, add a little of the liquid from the soaked raisins. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.