Sweet-as-a-rose cupcakes

Ingredients

100g almond meal

100g icing sugar mixture

50g (1/3 cup) self-raising flour

2 eggs, lightly whisked

125g butter, melted, cooled

90g (1/4 cup) St Dalfour Red Raspberry Fruit Spread

Silver cachous, to decorate

Strawberry butter cream icing

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125g (3/4 cup) icing sugar mixture

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

125ml (1/2 cup) thick strawberry-flavoured topping

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180C. Line twelve 40ml (2 tablespoons) muffin pans with paper cases. Combine the almond meal, icing sugar and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the egg and butter. Stir until well combined. Divide evenly among the lined pans.

Step 2

Spoon jam into a piping bag or a small sealable plastic bag (if using a plastic bag, cut 1 corner from the bag to make a small hole). Insert the end of piping bag into the centre of each portion of cake mixture and squeeze in about 1 teaspoon jam. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light brown and a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 3

To make the strawberry butter cream icing, use an electric beater to beat the butter in a bowl until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and strawberry topping until well combined.

Step 4

Spread a layer of icing over the top of each cake. Use a palette knife to draw icing towards the centre of each cake to create a small peak (this forms the centre of the rose). Place remaining icing in a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm petal nozzle (see tip, right). Starting at the centre, with the wider end of the nozzle pointing down, pipe the icing while gently rotating the cake to form a petal. Continue to form petals with the icing, rotating the cake as you pipe, and gradually filling the top of cake to create a large rose. Decorate the centres with cachous.

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