Jamie Magazine
By Jane Hornby
1 hr 20 mins plus cooling
Not Too Tricky
makes 24
Recipe From
Ingredients
225g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
200g light muscovado sugar
150g ground almonds
100g buckwheat flour (see tip)
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 large orange
3 large free-range eggs (at room temperature)
175g mixed dried fruit (ideally with candied orange in it)
50g dried cranberries
1 eating apple (125g)
100g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
Top Tip
Buckwheat, despite its name, is not related to wheat at all and is totally gluten-free. The flour has a light nuttiness. You’ll find it in most supermarkets and health food shops.
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line two muffin trays with paper cases or squares of baking paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until pale and fluffy.
- Combine the almonds, flour, mixed spice, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then sift it on top of the creamed butter and sugar. Add the orange zest, 3 tablespoons of the juice and the eggs to the bowl as well. Beat everything together until you have a thick batter, then stir in the dried fruit, cranberries and apple.
- Dollop the mixture into the muffin cases so they’re three-quarters full. Bake for 35 minutes, then turn down the heat to 160C/gas 3 and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are well risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
- Gradually mix the icing sugar with 4-5 teaspoons of the orange juice to make a thick icing. Spoon into a piping bag with a round nozzle, or into a sandwich bag, snipping off one corner. Pipe crosses onto each muffin, dust with extra icing sugar and leave to set.
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