I’m always looking for new Valentine’s Day bakes and usually its cupcakes or cookies but I wanted something different and I’ve found it. I hadn’t made them before but I made some and served them to family and friends who gave them the thumbs up. They are easy to make and they can be made in ordinary bun tins oval friands tins madeleine tins if you don’t want to go to the expense of buying heart tins. I love the Le Creuset Heart pans that I’ve bought, they are really heavy duty and the friands dropped out of the tins without sticking.
If you wish to make these Gluten free all you need to do is substitute the plain flour with Dove Plain flour.
You can also substitute blueberries instead of raspberries. These are so nice eat them any time not just for Valentine’s Day.
Makes 12 , prep time 15 minutes , baking time 20-25 minutes
What you will need
Two 6 Heart baking tins or a a 12 hole cupcake tin
Pre heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan assisted, gas mark 4
Ingredients
What you will need
Two 6 Heart baking tins or a a 12 hole cupcake tin
Pre heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan assisted, gas mark 4
Ingredients
- 230g icing sugar
- 60g plain flour
- 200g ground almonds
- Zest of an unwaxed lemon
- 6 large egg whites ( 180g) save the egg yolks for pastry making
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 230g unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 200g fresh raspberries ( you could use blueberries or blackberries)
Method
Sift the icing sugar and flour into a medium bowl, stir in the almonds and zest.
In a bowl whisk the egg whites until they form peaks.
Fold a spoonful of the egg white mixture into the cooled melted butter and add the vanilla and almond extract.
Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites and then add the melted butter mixture until combined.
Lightly fold in 2/3 of the raspberries reserving the remainder for scattering over the friands.
Divide the mixture between the tins , about a heaped tablespoonful.
Scatter the remaining berries about 3 to a heart.
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20- 25 minutes they should spring back when touched and be golden around the edges.
Leave the friands in the tins for 5 minutes to firm up before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Turn them the right way up and serve with a light dusting of icing sugar.
Sift the icing sugar and flour into a medium bowl, stir in the almonds and zest.
In a bowl whisk the egg whites until they form peaks.
Fold a spoonful of the egg white mixture into the cooled melted butter and add the vanilla and almond extract.
Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites and then add the melted butter mixture until combined.
Lightly fold in 2/3 of the raspberries reserving the remainder for scattering over the friands.
Divide the mixture between the tins , about a heaped tablespoonful.
Scatter the remaining berries about 3 to a heart.
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20- 25 minutes they should spring back when touched and be golden around the edges.
Leave the friands in the tins for 5 minutes to firm up before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Turn them the right way up and serve with a light dusting of icing sugar.