Perfect little morsels of wonderfulness, although these little cakes call for a special friand tin you can just as easily make them in a muffin tin. If you can't find any winter pansies then a sprinkle of chopped pistachios will look really pretty.
5 egg whites
170g self-raising flour
140g icing sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
120g ground almonds
200g unsalted butter, melted
24 frozen blackberries
Icing
150g icing sugar
juice of an orange
You will also need a 12-hole friand tin, greased with cake-release spray
12 purple pansies
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk or in a free-standing machine.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, icing sugar, baking powder and ground almonds together in a separate bowl. Fold in the melted butter until combined. Fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon.
Spoon into the prepared tin, add 2 frozen blackberries into each and bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden.
Cool in the tins for 3-4 minutes and then turn out on to a wire cooling rack.
Meanwhile, make the icing by combining the icing sugar and enough orange juice until you have a thick paste, drizzle over the cooled cakes and top with a fresh pansy.
