Bite my cherry
Flourless and fat-free cherry Bakewell–style cupcakes, suitable for those with gluten intolerance.
Ingredients
free-range eggs (separated)
4 large
caster sugar
175 g / 6 oz / ¾ cup
ground almonds
225 g / 8 oz / 2¼ cups
baking powder
1 tsp
glacé cherries (candied)
12
lemon glacé icing (p.16)
1 quantity
sugar paste (rolled fondant)
golf ball-sized piece
red food colouring (preferably gel)
edible glue
red edible glitter
green food colouring (preferably gel)
royal icing (see p. 16)
1 tbsp
Instructions
1
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin (pan) with cupcake cases (baking cups).
2
Step 2
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale. In a clean, dry separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the ground almonds and baking powder.
3
Step 3
Spoon the mixture (batter) into the prepared cases, and push 1 cherry down into each sponge. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, keeping an eye on them throughout - burnt almond doesn't taste good. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
4
Step 4
Make a glacé icing (p.16) and pour a little over each cake. While you are waiting for the icing to set (30 minutes), make the sugar paste cherries. Dye the sugar paste red by dipping a cocktail stick (toothpick) into the red food colouring and transferring it to the paste. Knead the colour in evenly, then make little cherry-sized balls (one for each cupcake), paint them with the edible glue and roll them in the edible glitter.
5
Step 5
When the icing is dry, add a little food colouring to the royal icing to make it green. Fill a parchment piping (decorating) bag with the royal icing, squeezing the icing down to the end. Snip the very end off the bag. Stick a sugar paste cherry onto each cupcake with a tiny blob of edible glue, and pipe green stalks and leaves with the green royal icing.
