Christmas Spiced Friands
These light and airy cakes make an ideal dessert following a large Christmas meal. They are flavoured with festive spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and feature ground almonds and browned butter for a rich, nutty taste. The batter can be prepared in advance and baked just when needed. Best enjoyed freshly baked on the day, they are finished with a delicate dusting of icing sugar.
Ingredients
- 200g unsalted butter
- 6 egg whites
- 75g plain flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch grated nutmeg
- pinch ground ginger
- 200g icing sugar plus extra for dusting
- 140g ground almonds
Method
- Set your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter in a small pan until it foams and turns a nutty brown colour. Take it off the heat and strain it through a sieve, discarding the solids. Allow the clarified butter to cool. Use a little of this butter to grease 10 holes of a friand or muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they become frothy. Sift the plain flour, spices and 200g icing sugar over the whites. Add the ground almonds and pour in the cooled butter. Gently fold everything together until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. This mixture can be chilled for up to 2 days before you bake it.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin holes. Put the tin on a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 mins. The friands are ready when they are golden, well-risen and spring back when touched. Let them cool in the tin for about 5 mins, then move them to a wire rack. They can be eaten slightly warm or fully cooled, though they are at their best on the day of baking. Just before serving, dust them with extra icing sugar.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories292 kcal
Fat20 g
Saturates9 g
Carbs24 g
Sugars18 g
Fibre1 g
Protein5 g
Sodium40 mg
Recipe details
Skill levelEasy
CategoryBreakfast
Cuisineaustralian
