Ingredients
Christmas fruit & spice friands
Spice syrup
Method
1.Preheat oven to 230°C. Line a 12-hole (⅓-cup/80ml) muffin pan with paper cases.
2.Sift icing sugar, flour and spices into a large bowl. Stir in dried currants and almond meal; make a well in the centre. Add egg whites, rind and butter; stir with a metal spoon until combined. Spoon mixture into paper cases.
3.Bake friands for 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 200°C; bake for a further 12 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave friands in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
4.Meanwhile, make spice syrup. Place vanilla, sugar and mixed spice in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Add the water; cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil, uncovered, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
5.Top friands with crème fraîche and red currants; drizzle with syrup. Dust with icing sugar, if you like.
