Squash, lemon and almond muffins
Butternut squash and ground almonds lend a gorgeous moistness to these easy to make muffins, working a bit in the same way as the carrots in carrot cake. You'll need muffin cases and a muffin tin for baking.
Ingredients
- 300g squash, peeled and diced weight
- 125g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 125g light brown soft sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten together
- 1 tsp almond essence
- zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
- 125g self raising flour
- 150g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp clear runny honey
- 12 whole blanched almonds, toasted in a dry frying pan until lightly golden
Method
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Step 1
Steam or boil the diced squash for 15 minutes, until very soft. Drain and leave to cool, then mash with a potato masher. Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
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Step 2
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl (an electric hand-held mixer makes life easier), until pale, light and fluffy.
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Step 3
Gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the almond essence, lemon zest and mashed squash. Add the flour and ground almonds and fold in gently.
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Step 4
Spoon roughly equal quantities of the mixture into your muffin cases.
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Step 5
Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to 180°C/Gas 4 and cook for about 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool.
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Step 6
Gently warm the honey in a small pan. Brush a little over the top of each muffin and top with an almond.