Red Currant Friands

These deliciously fruity Red Currant Friands are perfect for showcasing your baking skills! TIP: Friands can be baked 2 days in advance.

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Ingredients

165 g Natvia (3/4 cup)

75 g plain flour (1/2 cup)

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

6 egg whites, at room temperature

150 g butter, melted, cooled

150 g almond meal (1 1/4 cups )

3 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

40 g dried currants (1/3 cup )

200 g creme fraiche

200 g fresh or frozen red currants

Spice Syrup:

1 black tea bag

125 mls boiling water (1/2 cup )

1 teaspoon vanilla bean, split lengthways, seeds scraped

75 g Natvia (1/3 cup)

2 teaspoon mixed spice

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Line a 12-hole (1/3cup/80ml) muffin pan with paper cases.
Blend Natvia in a high-speed blender until the consistency of icing sugar. Reserve 2 tsp.
Sift powdered Natvia, flour, spices, and soda into a bowl.
Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl with a fork until frothy. Add butter, almond meal, sifted dry ingredients and zest. Stir until just combined. Add dried currants, stirring until combined. Spoon mixture into paper cases.
Bake 25 minutes until skewer inserted into centres comes out clean. Stand in pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
SPICE SYRUP: Place tea bag in a small heatproof jug. Pour over boling water. Stand 5 minutes to infuse. Remove tea bag. Place vanilla bean and seeds, Natvia and mixed spice in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Add tea. Cook, stirring, over low heat 2 mins until Natvia dissolves. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, without stirring, for 5 minutes until syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat and discard vanilla bean. (Don't worry if the syrup recrystallises as it cools. Just reheat over low heat until it dissolves)
Top friands with creme fraiche and red currants. Drizzle with hot syrup and dust with reserves sifted powdered Natvia.