makes
24
prep
20 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
24
serves
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (90 g) almond meal
- ⅓ cup (50 g) self-raising flour
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 150 g butter
- ¾ cup (165 g) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 eggs
- 200 g white chocolate
- 200 g cream cheese, softened
- edible cake sprinkles to finish, optional
Almond honeycomb
- ¼ cup (20 g) flaked almonds
- ¼ cup (55 g) caster sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp bicarb soda
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
Chilling time: 30 minutes.
Honeycomb setting time: 20 minutes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180⁰C and line two 12-hole cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners.
- Sift almond meal, self-raising flour and salt into medium bowl.
- In a large bowl beat butter, caster sugar and vanilla bean paste to a cream. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Using a large metal spoon, fold in almond meal mixture. Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water and allow to cool slightly. Whip the cream cheese in medium bowl until light and fluffy, add cooled melted white chocolate and continue to whip until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and whisk again until light and fluffy.
- For almond honeycomb, toast flaked almonds in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove. To the same saucepan, add caster sugar, honey and butter and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and simmer, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Quickly stir through reserved toasted almonds with bicarb soda, vanilla and salt. Spoon onto a piece of baking paper and set aside to cool. When cool break or chop into small chunks.
- To serve, pipe a swirl of whipped white chocolate ganache onto each cupcake and top with a few chunks of almond honeycomb. Add cake sprinkles, if using.
Note
• The white chocolate ganache can be made ahead, but for best results, whip again until fluffy just before piping onto the cupcakes.
• The honeycomb will take 20 minutes to set at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate or it will lose its crunch.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
