Redcurrant, white chocolate and hazelnut beetroot friands

I've made friands before but always as mini-muffins, but this time I used my heart-shaped muffin tin.  Instead of ground almonds, I toasted and ground hazelnuts and added a little beetroot powder for colouring (I could've used another spoonful or so to get the cakes a really rich pinky red).  The tops of the cakes are sprinkled with redcurrants and white chocolate, but these hazelnut friands could be made with lots of different fruit combinations.

Ingredients 

2 ½ oz hazelnuts
3 egg whites
3oz butter, melted
3oz icing sugar
2oz plain flour

1 tbsp beetroot powder
3oz redcurrants

3oz white chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C and grease an 8 hole muffin tin.
2. Start by toasting the hazelnuts in the oven for 5 minutes. 
3. Place the toasted nuts in a food processor and blitz until fine.
4. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until light and fluffy.
5. Add the butter and ground hazelnuts to the egg whites, and sift in the icing sugar, flour and beetroot powder. 
6. Fold together with a metal spoon until just combined.
7. Divide the mixture into the muffin tins and top each with redcurrants and white chocolate.
8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.