Blackberry-Almond Brown-Butter Mini Cakes

We discovered these glorious single-serving gluten free almond cakes at the fantastic GF- and vegan-friendly Amsterdam restaurant, Piqniq. At this beautiful neighborhood breakfast and lunch cafe, a concise menu allows you to choose two, three, or four little dishes, all of which are sweetly presented on modular plates and can be modified to be GF. Along with wonderful entrees, sandwiches, soups, and salads, their desserts were notably delicious. The owner/baker Paulien Gmelig, who does the cooking on-site daily, offers nearly anything on the menu GF and takes great precautions to avoid cross contamination. She kindly shared this recipe with us. Try it and swoon!

Print

Blackberry-Almond Brown-Butter Mini Cakes

These pretty cakes are delicate, brown-buttery, and full of rich almond flavor contrasted by the fresh, jammy flavor of blackberries. Serve them solo or add a dollop of cool whipped cream for creamy textural contrast and next-level fanciness. If you can’t find gluten-free corn flour, give gluten-free cornmeal a whir in the food processor or high-speed blender until it has a fine texture. Note: this recipe will leave you with extra egg yolks. What to do with them? How about a Hollandaise sauce, creme brulee, creme anglaise, or some pudding!

Servings 12

Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 1-1/2 Tablespoons (2 sticks plus 1-1/2 Tablespoons/250 grams) salted butter, plus more for greasing (If salted butter is not available, use unsalted butter plus 1/2 teaspoon salt.)
• 6 egg whites 200 grams
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1-1/2 cups (150 grams) almond flour
• 3/4 cup (100 grams) corn flour (see note above)
• 1/3 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons 100 grams granulated sugar
• 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar plus more for dusting
• 8 ounces blackberries
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter.

2. In a small pot over low heat, melt 1 cup plus 1½ Tablespoons of the butter. Let it foam gently, then wait for the solids to turn brown and for the butter to smell like hazelnuts. Let cool slightly.

3. In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, corn flour, and granulated sugar. Sift in the powdered sugar. Stir to combine.

4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they’re slightly stiff. Gently fold in the almond extract. Then gently fold in flour to combine. Finally, gently fold in the brown butter until combined.

5. Fill each of the 12 greased muffin-pan cups halfway with the batter. Top each cup of batter with three blackberries, then cover the berries with the remaining batter. Evenly sprinkle the sliced almonds over the batter and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Let cool slightly, remove from the muffin pan to a plate, dust with powdered sugar, then enjoy.

Nutrition Facts

Blackberry-Almond Brown-Butter Mini Cakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 290 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 44mg15%

Sodium 172mg7%

Potassium 71mg2%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 551IU11%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.