My old muffin tray lost its non-stick coating long ago so I was in the market for a new tray. I’m a big fan of Le Creuset cookware. I have 3 of their cast iron pans which I use all the time so I was keen to try out the Le Creuset muffin tray.
The deep cups of the 12 Cup Muffin Tray are perfect for making muffins or cupcakes or you could even make some mini pies. The tray features heat-resistant silicone inserts for added grip, which makes removing the hot tray from the oven a simple process.
To test out the new tray I picked a recipe that didn’t use paper liners. I made a batch of Persian Love Cakes adapted from Sweet: Desserts from London’s Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. The original recipe used some hard to find ingredients so instead, I used what I already had in my pantry.
I greased and floured the muffin tray before I made the cakes and when baked, the love cakes came out from the tray with a simple tap on the bottom. They turned out perfectly and best of all the tray cleaned up easily in the dishwasher. I can see I’ll get plenty of use from the Le Creuset 12 cup muffin tray.
Here’s the recipe for you which makes 12 cakes which are gluten-free if buckwheat flour is used. The original recipe called for buckwheat flour but I used the rye flour I already had in the cupboard. The cakes can be served warm, without the pistachio and pomegranate seed topping, or at room temperature with all the toppings. They’re best served the day after they’re made and can be stored for 2 days undecorated in an airtight container. My batch was devoured pretty quickly so I haven’t tested out the keeping qualities but Ottolenghi reports they don’t eat well when stored for longer.
For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.
Ingredients- 240 g (2 1/2 cups) almond meal
- 135 g (2/3 cup) raw sugar
- 135 g (2/3 packed cup) light brown sugar
- 50 g (1/3 cup) rye or buckwheat flour
- 80 g unsalted butter, fridge-cold, cubed
- ½ tsp salt
- 160 g (1/2 cup plus 1½ tbs) plain Greek yoghurt
- 90 g eggs (about 1 1/2 large eggs)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 60 g (¼ cup) labne or mascarpone
- 1 tbs shelled pistachio kernels, slivered or finely crushed
- 12 pomegranate seeds (optional)
- Icing sugar, for sprinkling
Place the almond meal, the sugars, flour, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Transfer two-thirds of the mix (about 340g) to a large bowl along with the yoghurt, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix to combine and set aside.
Evenly spoon the remaining third of the crumb mix into the base of the 12 muffin pans; it should come about a third of the way up the sides of the tins. Using your fingers or a teaspoon press the mix into the base of the tin, as you would a cheesecake so that it is compact.
Fill each mould with the yogurt mix and firmly tap the muffin tin to level the top of the cakes. Place the muffin tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the cakes are golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cakes will look slightly uncooked and damp inside, but this is the way they should be. Allow the cakes to cool for 15–30 minutes before unmoulding them.
They can be served warm from the oven or cold. If serving cold, allow the cakes to cool completely before sprinkling with icing sugar. If you like you can lay a piece of parchment paper on top of each cake, on the diagonal, and sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar over the exposed side of the cake. Spoon a little of the labne or mascarpone on the top of each cake before topping with the chopped pistachios and a pomegranate seed, if used. You can also forgo the labne and just top the cakes with icing sugar and some chopped pistachios. The cakes have a crunchy base and an intriguing soft centre and were a real hit at work.
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