Today is all about Mothers. Mothers deserve to be celebrated year-round, but I’m not gonna make Simnel cake like tradition. There’s a better way to celebrate this day – an elegant spin on a cupcake. The hazelnut and raspberry friand recipe is easy to make and looks very pretty, making them a lovely homemade gift.
Made with just egg whites, rather than whole eggs, and icing sugar, these hazelnut and raspberry friands are as light as air. It also makes them work very well as gluten-free cakes since most of the flour is substituted with ground almonds, so they don’t have the frequent dryness and crumbliness of other cakes.
Friands can be a pleasing change from cupcakes because rather than being topped with masses of frosting (which I find very sickly), the decoration comes from the simplicity of adding fruit to the batter.
Traditional friands are oval-shaped, but since I have no great necessity to bake them frequently, a simple cupcake tray does the job just as well.
You can make berry friands with any summer berry you care to think of that could be substituted for the raspberries; I just chose them because I love their taste and because they look so pretty, even when baked. In fact, all sorts of different flavors could be tried, making them as versatile as cupcakes.
As you savor the rich combination of Hazelnut and Raspberry Friand cakes, consider enhancing the experience with a White Russian cocktail for a perfect blend of sweetness and sophistication.
This is how to make hazelnut and raspberry friands:
Raspberry and Hazelnut Friands
Ingredients
- 90 g butter
- 90 g icing sugar
- 70 g ground almonds
- 30 g plain flour mine was gluten-free
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts
- 15-20 raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180oC and line a cupcake tin with paper cases (or grease).
- Melt the butter in a pan, then set aside to cool.
- Sift the icing sugar, flour and ground almonds into a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites just until they are foamy, but still liquid, rather than stiff.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the egg whites, butter, lemon zest and hazelnuts. Mix everything together lightly until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the cases and place two or three raspberries on top of each.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the friands are golden and springy to the touch.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Sprinkle each friand with a pinch of ground almonds and serve.
