marzipan chunk cupcakes

I have been very lucky recently to have a friend working at my local library! You can't believe how handy it is to have an 'in' when it comes to public book sharing! My favourite part of this set up is the fact that my 'Library Fairy' as I call him, requests books on my behalf that he see's and think's i'll like, every now and then I get a message from the library telling me Heston Blumenthal's season 2 is ready for pick up and there they are on the reserved shelf waiting to for me... It's brilliant! 

So on receipt of my newly suggested book I discover a recipe for Marzipan Chunk Cupcakes. Now to the Library Fairy, the modern lack of interest in marzipan products is one of the great tragedy's of the 21st century, he absolutely loves the stuff and firmly believes that more attention should be paid to it's sweet almondy goodness in modern gastronomy! So something is beginning to tell me that this book suggestion may have a more sinister intent than simply food based literary altruism, but it's raining outside, the perfect day for baking and cups of tea so i've whipped up a cheeky thank you dozen. 

Again never content to just make a recipe, I have experimented a bit with flavours. A couple of straight up marzipan chunk, a couple of marzipan and macadamia, a couple of marzipan and ginger and a few marzipan espresso (however something tells me Library Fairy likes it straight up!).

The just marzipan I like, consumed with a lovely cup of english breakfast tea, may be a little too subtle for our friend. The caramel-ly gooey ness of the baked marzipan is really nice, with extra sugar on top before baking for a crunchy cup cake top! Will try the coffee combo tomorrow (in a bid to eat only 1 cup cake a day!). 

ps Kate, tell Luke to come pick up his cupcakes before I eat them all!