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Petite French Almond Cakes

(recipe, Sara Perry)


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Introduction

These golden sweets look like a cookie, but are tender like a cake, delicately reminiscent of another French teatime treat, the madeleine cookie. A Gunpowder green tea would be an ideal accompaniment. Look for almond meal at specialty food markets.

Ingredients

  1. 1 cup almond meal
  2. ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  3. ¾ cup egg whites (from 5 to 6 large eggs), at room temperature
  4. 1 cup sugar
  5. 1 Tbsp. honey, at room temperature or slightly warm
  6. ⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Steps

  1. Whisk together the almond meal and flour until blended.
  2. In a stand mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites. When the whites change from loose to slightly loose foam, add the sugar in a steady sprinkle, over 4 to 6 minutes. The whites will be glossy and moist.
  3. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites in 3 or 4 portions. Gently fold each addition before adding the next.
  4. Fold in the honey, followed by the butter. The batter should be glossy, light, and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush the cups of a mini-cupcake tin with additional melted butter. Sift all-purpose flour over the molds to coat them, invert, and tap several times to shake out excess.
  6. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them three-quarters full. Bake until golden-brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before unmolding. The cakes are best enjoyed the day they are baked.