Macaroon Cup Cake

Macaroon Cup Cakes

The subtle taste of almond and butter makes these cup cakes different from most others I have tried. Growing up we had these as treats prepared only on very special occasions for they are a true labour of love. The  idea of this has been taken from the original recipe which may have been from the late 1950's; now tweaked and changed.

A  perfect mix between a pastry and a cake;  in fact it is a bit of both!
You first cream and prepare the base of the cake. Drop it into a cupcake/muffin pan (which is properly greased with butter) making it into the shape of a "cup" with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate to harden these while you make the filling. Spoon in the creamed almond mixture in the  prepared "cups" and bake. Its simply delicious when eaten fresh and warm with a cup of coffee and rather hard to resist.

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Makes 24 cupcakes

In a bowl cream together
 8oz / 250gm /1 cup butter
1/2 cup Sugar
Add
1 extra large egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
Fold in
2 cups twice sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

Divide this into 24 greased muffin pans, leaving a dip to fill,
Refrigerate.

In a bowl beat until very light and fluffy
2 extra large eggs

Gradually add to this with the beater running
3/4 cup sugar
Now gently fold in
2 cups finely grated  peeled almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Drop into the 24 prepared cup cake bases.

Bake in a preheated oven of 325F /160C for 25 minutes.
The tops must be lightly coloured to be cooked through.

Cool for 15 minutes and remove each cup cake, lifting it gently with a butter knife.
Best eaten warm and fresh. Store in an airtight box for up to 3 days.


Tips
Keep the cupcake/muffin pan well greased with butter.
Use the back of the spoon to make the outer layer stick to the base and walls of the muffin pan. It is sticky like dough and may take some patience to get it all done. To make it simpler keep a bowl of hot water to dip the spoon into while working on the base.
Fold in the almonds into the eggs for the filling with a large metal spoon.
Peeled and grated almonds are available readily in most supermarkets and Indian stores.
Make sure the eggs and butter are at room temperature before starting.
Preheat the oven when you begin preparations.



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