I love a little treat and these cute cakes with a hint of fresh strawberry are the perfect little cakes.  They are not too sweet and can be dressed up if desired.  I served these with strawberries and a bowl of mascarpone on the side.  They were a hit.

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 15 minutes

Skill - easy

Makes 12

Ingredients

120g butter, plus extra for greasing

1 orange, zest and juice

50g ground almonds

170g flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp baking powder

180g caster sugar

½ cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g strawberries, hulled

1 Tbsp icing sugar

Mascarpone to serve (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven 180 C (160 fan-forced)

Grease and flour 12 muffin tins

Place the butter and orange zest into a small saucepan.  Over moderate heat melt the butter until it just starts to go a light brown in colour and has a light nutty aroma.  Remove immediately and set aside.

In a large bowl add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Mix the milk, eggs, vanilla and cooled butter together.

Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon into the prepared tins.

Slice 12 rounds of  strawberries. Place one round on top of each cake.

Bake for 12 minutes or until the centre of the cake is firm.

Remove and cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

With the remaining strawberries, you can either serve them alongside or you can mash them lighty with a fork, add the icing sugar and a little orange juice. 

Enjoy x