100g butter, melted
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup self-raising flour
At least 24 fresh or frozen raspberries or cubes of frozen rhubarb.
Heat oven to 180degC with the rack set just below the middle.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the almonds, sugar, vanilla, and milk to the butter and stir until well combined.
Separate the eggs, stirring the yolks into the almond mixture, and putting the whites into another large clean bowl (any traces of fat will prevent the whites fluffing up).
Add the salt, then beat the whites with an eggbeater until they form stiff peaks.
Sprinkle the flour over the whites, then pour or spoon in the almond mixture and gently fold everything together just enough to combine.
Thoroughly spray 12 friand or muffin pans with oil (it pays to do this carefully, as they do have a tendency to stick) and divide the mixture between them.
Place at least two raspberries, or pieces of rhubarb, on the top of each, then place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and the centres spring back when pressed.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 3-5 minutes to make them easier to remove, before turning out of the pans to cool on a rack.
Dust with icing and serve warm or cold at any time.
These are particularly good with yoghurt.
Requested by Fran Shack, of Mosgiel, and by Elina Shaw, of Dunedin. Sam Kerr, of Rhubarb in Roslyn, says this recipe has been adapted from Simon and Alison Holst's 100 Favourite Muffins & Slices.
