Pear and Almond Cupcakes

Following my last post and just to enter into the spirit of baking cakes with delicious magazine, I thought I would rustle something up for breakfast; Pear and Almond cupcakes. A nice marriage of delicate flavours to awaken your taste buds and to kickstart your day.

Breakfast: Pear and Almond Cupcakes

Time:
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 20-25 minutes

Portion Control:
8 medium sized cupcakes

Ingredients:
98g of plain flour
1.5 teaspoon of baking powder
0.5 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
or
100g of self raising flour

1 teaspoon of almond extract
1 medium sized pear; peeled, cored and cubed
100g of butter, softened
100g of caster sugar
2 eggs

Icing:
100g of icing sugar
4 teaspoons of water
Handful of flaked almonds, toasted


Directions:

• Preheat the oven at 180c/fan160c/gas 4.
• Line a mini cake tin with 8 paper cases. 
• Place flour, butter, sugar, eggs and almond extract in a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth. 
• Carefully fold in the cubed pear. 
• Divide mixture between paper cases ensuring each has equal quantities of pear.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Test the cakes have been sufficiently baked by poking a cocktail stick in the centre of the cakes. If the stick comes out clean, they are ready!
• Remove from the cake tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Mix the icing sugar with water.
• Ice the tops of the cakes.
• Garnish with flaked, toasted almonds

Of course, you can use ground almonds in the mixture instead of the extract. I was limited to what I had in my kitchen cupboard! 


Which baking delights would you have for breakfast?