Cake it to make it
Cake is a force for good: these recipes are from London’s Luminary Bakery, where they support disadvantaged women (who’ve been homeless, in prison or victims of violence) by teaching them to bake, build a career and make a better future
The tea leaves help to infuse the butter with subtle flavour and bergamot oil before baking.
Makes 12
200g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing Gluten-free or plain flour, for dusting
1 Earl Grey tea bag, ripped open
250g icing sugar
1/2 tsp fine salt
200g ground almonds
6 medium egg whites Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
30g flaked almonds
To decorate:
3 tbsp lemon curd
1 tbsp hot water
Dried blue cornflower petals (optional, available from online shops)
Extra Earl Grey tea leaves (optional)
● Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin with butter, making sure to get into every corner and right up the sides, then dust with some flour, tipping it round the whole tin before shaking out any excess.
● In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the tea leaves and
then set aside to cool.
Sift the icing sugar, salt and ground almonds into a bowl and mix together. In a separate large bowl, use an electric whisk to whisk the egg whites to soft peaks (when you lift the whisk out, it creates peaks in the egg mixture that slowly fall back into the bowl).
Tip the dry ingredients and lemon zest into the egg whites and gently fold in with a spatula, then pour in the cooled butter and fold in to form a light and bubbly batter.
Spoon the batter equally between the holes of the muffin tin and smooth the tops with the back of a teaspoon. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of each one.
● Bake for 20-25 minutes until the middles are just firm to the touch and the tops are golden.
● Leave them to cool completely in the tin before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
● To decorate, gently warm the lemon curd and hot water in the microwave or a small saucepan until runny and bubbling.
● Brush the mixture over the top of each friand and sprinkle with dried blue cornflower petals and a few more tea leaves, if you like.