Essentially a friand, these little gluten-free, blueberry-studded cakes are a real pleasure. Especially eaten just warm from the oven, when the blueberries burst juicily on your tongue and the flaked coconut is crisp and toasty. When I was a waitress at a local cafe as a teenager, a latte in a tall glass and a friand were the height of sophistication – I’m no longer sure that’s true of the latte, but I think it is high time we brought back the friand!
Makes 12 little cakes
WHAT YOU NEED
80g (23/4 oz) almond meal
80g (23/4 oz) desiccated coconut
50g (13/4 oz) white rice flour, plus extra to dust
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
120g (41/4 oz) pure icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
4 egg whites (140 g/5 oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100g (31/2 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra to grease
125g (41/2 oz) fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons (30 g/1 oz) flaked coconut
WHAT TO DO
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) fan-forced and grease a 12-hole tiny loaf (bar) or muffin/cupcake tin (with 80 ml/21/2 fl oz capacity holes) well with softened butter.
Dust with a little extra rice flour, tapping out any excess. Place the almond meal, desiccated coconut, white rice flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and use a hand whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, use a hand whisk to whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the whisked egg whites to the dry ingredients along with the vanilla, lemon zest and melted butter. Stir until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins. Next, divide the blueberries between the cakes, gently pressing them into the batter, then top with the flaked coconut.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are cooked through and the coconut flakes are golden. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store and share
These little cakes will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two – just return them to room temperature before serving.
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