These cupcakes are my own take on the much loved traditional English cherry and almond cake, enjoyed by many as part of afternoon tea in years gone by. Sadly although the flavour pairing of cherry and almond is still much enjoyed, the cherry studded, slightly dense almond cake has gone out of fashion with the younger generation, although, I must confess it still remains one of my favourites. These cupcakes are a more modern take on that great classic cake. They consist of a light almond sponge which is spread with a layer of cherry jam and then topped with toasted flaked almonds.The use of ground almonds in the cake helps keep them lovely and moist and the addition of almond extract provides a great almond frangipane flavour. The cherry part comes in the form of a fruit studded black cherry jam which results in an instant cherry hit when a bite is taken and helps keep the cake light as no heavy fruit is mixed into the cake batter. The cupcake is decorated with a scattering of flaked almonds which are first lightly toasted to enhance their flavour. A hit with cherry and almond fans of any age.
Almond Cupcakes with Cherry Jam & Toasted Flaked Almonds
Cupcakes100g self raising flour
20g ground almonds
115g butter
115g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp almond extract
Topping
100g black cherry jam
30g toasted flaked almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 175C. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs and ground almonds before sifting over the flour and beating until well combined.
Add the almond extract and baking powder and beat again.
Using a tablespoon, divide the batter into the muffin cases, filling half way.
Bake in the oven for 22-24 minutes until golden and springy.
Remove from the oven, leave for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool.
When cool, spread a teaspoon of cherry jam over the top of the cupcakes, leaving a rim of sponge showing around the edge.
Top with the toasted flaked almonds.
Makes 11-12 cupcakes
9 comments:
Fantastic cupcakes - great flavour combo! Out of interst do you just use muffin cases (fairy cake cases would be too small wouldn't they?).
Hi Beth,
Yes for cupcakes I always bake them in muffin cases and place the cases in muffin tins. I do make fairy cakes sometimes, but I prefer the bigger cupcake/muffin size.
I love the cherry and almond combination, so these sound like a real winner to me!
I also think cherry-almond-cakes are a great combination, and think these cupcakes are very pretty indeed.
Another winning recipe Katie! I can't wait for the next recipe!
We had a go at re-creating these - with a few alterations as I didn't have any almond essense - go see the results on my blog. They turned out really well. Great recipe
As a very lucky relative I get to taste all of Katie's cup cakes and these are one of my favourites. It is especially good when she makes too many and I have to help out eating the left overs!
What lovely cupcakes! Almond and jam is such a comforting combo...I'm glad I stopped by!
Your cupcakes and sweet treats all sound so amazing. I especially love the flavors in this recipe! :)
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