Crave: Brilliantly Indulgent Recipes

PREP TIME: 20 MINS PLUS COOLING

COOKING TIME: 20–25 MINS

CUPCAKES

200g peeled, halved and stoned peaches (fresh or from a tin)

125g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

250g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

TOPPING

300ml double cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 ripe peach, halved, stoned and cut into 18 slices, to decorate

You will also need 2 × 12-hole muffin tins and 18 paper muffin cases.

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and line the muffin tins with 18 muffin cases.

2 Cut the peaches into chunks and place them in a food processor or a stick blender with a processor attachment. Purée until smooth.

3 Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl using an electric hand-held whisk or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until really pale and fluffy – this is what will make the sponge light.

4 Add the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mix then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping the mixture down from the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at this point – it should blend together after the flour is added.

5 Combine the flour and baking powder in a small bowl. With the whisk or mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, followed by all the peach purée, then the remaining flour, mixing well between each addition until the mixture is smooth. It will form a very thick batter.

6 Divide the mixture evenly among the cases and bake for 20–25 minutes. The cakes should be springy to the touch and a metal skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cakes should come out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

7 While the cakes are cooling, make the topping. Whisk the cream and icing sugar together in a bowl until the mixture just holds its shape when you lift the whisk. If the cream is too stiff it won’t spread smoothly.

8 When the cakes are at room temperature, decorate them with the cream topping using a palette knife. Put a tablespoon-sized dollop on the top of each cupcake, then smooth it down into the edges to form a cone shape. Use the rounded end of the spatula to create a swirl at the top. Decorate with a slice of fresh peach and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Sweet and sour apple crisps (#ulink_cb6f8c38-9eaa-527e-a5f4-1443b9a094fa)

Fruit crisps are one of my favourite ways to enjoy fruit on the go. Drying out thin slices of apple concentrates their flavour into intense, crispy morsels, which make a fantastic snack. I like to use a combination of different types of apple; you’d be amazed how much the flavour differs between each variety. Tart Granny Smith or Bramley apples create sour, refreshing crisps, while sweeter varieties like Pink Lady or Gala have beautiful pink edges that look stunning when they curl up in the oven. You can dust the finished crisps in sugar and cinnamon, but I prefer to eat them just as they are.

MAKES ABOUT 50 CRISPS

PREP TIME: 10 MINS

COOKING TIME: 40–50 MINS

1 Granny Smith apple or other cooking apple

1 Pink Lady apple or other sweet dessert apple

Juice of

/

lemon (optional)

1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

2 tsp caster sugar (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan/gas 1/2 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

2 Wash and dry the apples and remove the stalk from each. Use a mandoline to carefully slice the apple horizontally into very thin slices (1–2mm thick). If you don’t have a mandoline, use a sharp knife to cut slices as thinly as you can. Pop out and discard any pips. If you’re not baking the apples immediately, submerge the slices in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop them browning.

3 Arrange the apple slices on the baking tray, trying not to overlap the slices or they won’t be so crisp. Bake for 40–50 minutes until the apples frill up at the edges and feel completely dry. They will still be fairly soft and pliable, but they will firm up and quickly become crisp as they cool.

4 Transfer the cooked apple slices to a wire rack and leave them to cool. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar (if using) before serving. The crisps will keep in an airtight container for a few days, but they are best eaten while they’re still fresh as they lose their crispness over time.

Passionfruit Viennese whirls (#ulink_9799bb8a-7116-5127-9c9d-cd937f0693e5)

If the idea of a passionfruit-flavoured, deliciously crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth biscuit doesn’t make you hungry, then nothing will do! Viennese whirls are one of the bakes I can’t resist. Using fine powders like icing sugar and cornflour in the biscuit dough creates a melting texture unlike that of any other biscuit, as the small particles stop the formation of gluten, which can toughen them. The biscuit will break apart in your mouth easily, making it incredibly moreish. I’ve used a tart passionfruit filling in my whirls because I find the usual jam and buttercream cloyingly sweet. It cuts through the buttery biscuit and sugary filling perfectly.

MAKES 16 WHIRLS

PREP TIME: 25 MINS PLUS COOLING

COOKING TIME: 10–12 MINS

PASSIONFRUIT FILLING

2 passionfruits

25g caster sugar

BISCUITS

100g butter, softened

25g icing sugar