Delicate friand cakes, made extra light with whisked egg whites, are perfect served with warm griddled pineapple, flambéed in coconut rum and topped with a refreshing scoop of coconut ice cream.
a 12-hole cupcake tin/pan, greased with butter
an ice cream maker
Makes 12 friands
Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) Gas 4.
To make the friands, put the coconut in a food processor and blitz until very finely ground. Put the butter, sugar and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat together until light and creamy. Whisk in the coconut and ground almonds, coconut rum, pineapple and vanilla extract. Put the egg whites in a separate greasefree bowl and whisk until stiffly peaking. Fold them into the cake batter, adding a third of the egg whites to loosen the mixture and then folding in the remainder. Divide the batter between the holes in the prepared tin/pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, until the friands are golden brown. Let cool in the tin/pan.
To make the ice cream, put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until thick and creamy. Put the coconut milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour over the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Add the coconut rum and return the mixture to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken. Let cool, then churn in an ice cream maker until frozen, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Cook the pineapple wedges for 2–3 minutes on each side, sprinkling with the brown sugar when you turn them. Pour over the rum – if you are cooking on a gas flame, take care as the rum will flambé. Serve the friands with some griddled pineapple and a scoop of coconut ice cream on the side. Serve immediately.
The friands will keep for up to 2 days if stored in an airtight container.