The key is to grate your hashish into your butter as you melt it, and then brown it to become ‘beurre noisette,’ as French cooks call it. This creates a magical interaction between the fat in the butter and the THC in the hashish to make a delectable and potent combination. The tastiest space cake you will ever eat!
Warning: do not be tempted to eat too much at the start. Be patient! It takes more than an hour for the Space effect to kick in. If you eat to excess you may find yourself naked on the beach the next morning. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing.
To make 12 individual Space Cakes, for 2, 3, or 4 merry revellers
180 g / 6 ounces unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split
15 – 30 g / 1/2 – 1 ounce grated Primo Super Wonderful hashish
200 grams / 1 cup sugar
100 g / 1 cup ground almonds
6 large egg whites
90 g / 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Put the butter in a small, heavy saucepan with the vanilla bean and hashish and bring it slowly to the boil over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Allow the butter to bubble away until it turns a deep brown. The butter should make a sputtering noise as the water is evaporated from the fat. When the spattering stops, and the liquid looks brownish and smells wonderful like toasted nuts, remove from heat and keep it in a warm place.
Mix the sugar and almonds together in a another medium saucepan. Stir in the egg whites, place the pan over low heat, and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, heat the mixture until it is runny, slightly white and hot to the touch, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, then gradually strain in the melted butter. Throw out the browned bits from the strainer. Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of the batter to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 1 hour. (The batter can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Butter 12 rectangular financier molds that each hold 3 tablespoons, dust the interiors with flour and tap out the excess. You can also use silicone molds and just spray them with non-stick spray. Place the molds on a baking sheet for easy transport.
Fill each mold almost to the top with batter. Slide the molds into the oven and bake for about 13 minutes, or until the financiers are golden, crowned and springy to the touch. If necessary, run a blunt knife between the cookies and the sides of the pans, then turn the cookies out of their molds and allow them to cool to room temperature right side up on cooling racks.
You can keep your Space Cakes in an air-proof box for a few days, or freeze them for an emergency. Somehow, I doubt you will! Happy adventures!
