Christmas fruit and spice friands
MAKES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 35 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME)
1½ cups (240g) pure icing sugar
⅓ cup (50g) plain flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup (40g) dried currants
1½ cups (180g) almond meal (ground almonds) 6 egg whites
3 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
200g butter, melted
200g crème fraîche
300g fresh red currants, optional
SPICE SYRUP
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
2 teaspoons mixed spice
½ cup (125ml) water 1 Preheat oven to 230°C (210°C fan-forced). Line a 12-hole (⅓-cup/80ml) muffin pan with paper cases.
2 Sift icing sugar, flour and spices into a large bowl. Stir in dried currants and almond meal; make a well in the centre. Add egg whites, rind and butter; stir with a metal spoon until combined. Spoon mixture into paper cases.
3 Bake friands for 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced); bake for a further 12 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave friands in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 4 SPICE SYRUP Meanwhile, place vanilla, sugar and spice in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Add water; cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Boil, uncovered, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until
syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat. 5 Top with crème fraîche and currants; drizzle with syrup. Dust with icing sugar. Suitable to freeze. Butter suitable to microwave.