Pear, Honey And Tahini Cupcakes

These little cakes are not too sweet – and I’ll happily eat them for breakfast.

Tahini is a beautiful ingredient to bake with – make sure you get the hulled variety, which doesn’t have the bitterness that the un-hulled kind has.

x Jordan

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

80g /⅓ cup hulled tahini

100g butter

100g light muscovado, coconut or soft brown sugar

½ cup liquid honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 free-range eggs

100g ground almonds

100g spelt or plain all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Generous pinch of sea salt

½ cup unsweetened full-fat Greek yoghurt

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes

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For the Tahnini Glaze

3 tbsp hulled tahini

1 tbsp liquid honey

Pinch sea salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

3-4 tbsp boiling water

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To Decorate

2 tbsp Sesame seeds, lightly toasted

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Makes 12 cupcakes

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Preheat the oven to 170C fan bake. Place liners in, or thoroughly grease 12 holes of a cupcake tray.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the tahini, butter, sugar and honey until pale, light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time.
In 2 parts, mix in the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt. Finally, fold in the yoghurt. Stop your electric mixer once all of the ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
Evenly divide the batter between the 12 cupcake holes and dot some pear pieces into each, pressing them down lightly.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make the glaze. Mix together all of the ingredients and enough boiling water to get the glaze to a drizzling consistency.
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, drizzle over the tahini glaze and decorate with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Serve at room temperature.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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