Great British Bake Off: Festival Week

In celebration of festival week, Pastry Chef Marta Furmanczuk shares her recipe for Halloween-themed sweet treats: pumpkin spice latte macarons.

Pumpkin spice latte macarons

Makes 12

Ingredients

For the macaron shells

175g icing sugar
125g ground almonds
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
Orange food colouring
120g egg whites (around 4 eggs)
80g caster sugar

For the filling

125g butter
250g icing sugar
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp boiling water
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the macaron shells

– Sift together the ground almonds, icing sugar and spices into a mixing bowl. Add a couple of drops of food colouring, depending on how bright you’d like them to be
– Whisk the egg whites and slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks form
– Gently fold the meringue mixture into the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth and shiny
– Transfer the batter into pipping bags and pipe into 4cm circles on a greaseproof parchment-lined baking sheet or silicone mat. Tap tray hard to release any air bubbles
– Put the tray to one side to rest for at least 30 minutes. When you touch the macaron shells they should not be sticky
– Bake for 18 minutes at 125 degrees in a non-fan oven

For the filling

– Mix the coffee with the boiling water in a small bowl and set aside
– In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft, then gradually sift in the icing sugar
– Add the vanilla extract and coffee to the icing sugar, then beat until fully combined

Finishing touches
If you’re feeling particularly spooky like goth baker Helena, then use an edible black pen to decorate with Halloween patterns and illustrations.