Orange and Almond Tea Cakes

Or an adaption of Lily Vanilli’s Pink Grapefruit, Almond and Brown Sugar Tea Cakes, as it really should be!  I recently bought Lily Vanilli’s Sweet Tooth as a post Christmas gift to myself! I was tempted by the colourful, pretty cover as well the reviews I’ve read of it and having seen the bakery for myself a while back when on Colombia Road.

I was trying to avoid studying so thought it was a good opportunity to bake something from this beautiful book.  I choose these Tea Cakes but didn’t have a pink grapefruit, but did have a pile of oranges that needed using!

Pink Grapefruit, Almond and Brown Sugar Tea Cakes (Makes 12)

Ingredients

1 Pink Grapefruit (or large Orange!)
30g Flaked Almonds
1 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar (for sprinkling)
2 tbsp. Apricot Jam
150g Unsalted Butter
150g Light Brown Sugar
200g Ground Almonds
Finely grated zest of 1/2 Pink Grapefruit
2 Eggs
35g Plain Flour

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 c / Gas Mark 6
• Line a baking tray with baking parchment
• Grease well a 12 hole muffin / cupcake tray
• Top and tail the zested grapefruit, cut away the peel, then carefully cut out the fruit segments from just inside the membrane. 
• Discard the membrane and juice, then place the segments on your prepared baking tray and bake for 20 mins
• Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Leave the oven on
• To make the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar together for approx. 3 mins
• Beat in the ground almonds and zest, followed by the eggs and then the flour
• Spoon evenly into your prepared muffin tray and press a cooled grapefruit segment on the top of each
• Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and brown sugar
• Bake for 20 mins, or until a cocktail inserted into the centre comes out clean
• To make the optional glaze, mix the apricot jam with a few drops of water in a heavy-bottomed pan and heat over a medium heat until runny but not bubbling hot
• Brush a little of the glaze over each tea cake as they come out of the oven. 
• Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

Enjoy with a cup of tea!!