These are richly moist little cakes, just perfect for an afternoon tea. The addition of crushed strawberries makes a nice contrast to the chopped pistachios and the lemon juice keeps them very moist.
Makes about 12
Equipment
- Silicon or metal friand moulds (alternatively these can be made as fairycakes or cupcakes – for which you will need paper cases and a bun tin)
- Bowl
- Balloon whisk, electric whisk or stand mixer
Ingredients
- Lemon – the juice and zest of one small to medium lemon
- Unsalted butter, softened – 120g
- Caster sugar – 175g
- Eggs, whole – 3
- Plain flour – 120g
- Baking powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Chopped pistachios – 80g
- Strawberries – 70g
Method
- Grease and lightly flour the moulds or fill a bun tin with fairy cake cakes
- Put the oven on to 160C fan / 170C conventional
- Cream the butter and sugar
- Mix in the eggs one at a time with a spoonful of the flour, to avoid splitting
- Add the rest of the flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly
- Crush the strawberries with the back of a fork
- Add the crushed strawberries, the lemon juice, zest and 3/4 of the chopped pistachios
- Gently mix the added ingredients in with a spatula
- Sprinkle the remainder of the pistachios in the bottom of the friand moulds. If you are using fairycake cases, then you will need to put the pistachios on top of the mix after you have spooned it in
- Spoon in the mixture, trying as best possible to put an even amount in each friand cavity (if you are using cake cases, now sprinkle the remaining pistachios on top)
- Bake for about 20 – 22 minutes until nicely golden. You can check ‘doneness’ either with a skewer (an inserted skewer should come out clean with no mix on) or with the springback test – gently press your finger on one sponge, if it is done enough it will spring back to shape.
- Leave to cool and decorate with sliced strawberries
Ink Sugar Spice ~ Lynn Clark 