Equipment
Ingredients
Almond Cake Base
- 200 g superfine almond flour, sifted
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 eggs, room temperature, separated
- 2 ml almond extract
- 2 g salt
- 2 g lemon zest
Bittersweet Ganache
- 85 g bittersweet chocolate (70%), finely chopped
- 80 ml heavy cream
Fruit Finish
- 80 g cherry jam, high quality
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Generously grease the muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.
Separate the eggs. Place yolks in a large mixing bowl and whites in a separate clean bowl.
Beat the egg yolks and 100g of the sugar together until pale yellow and creamy. Add the softened butter, almond extract, and lemon zest (if using), beating until smooth.
Stir the almond flour and salt into the yolk mixture until fully combined. The batter will be thick.
In the separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 50g of sugar and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form.
Gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the almond batter to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites carefully to preserve air bubbles.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched.
While cakes cool, place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until just simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, then whisk until glossy.
Once cakes are cool, remove from tin. Top six cakes with a spoonful of ganache and the remaining six with a spoonful of cherry jam. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- The 8-hour rule is critical: almond flour has high oil content which can make the cakes heavy or greasy if they sit too long at room temperature.
- Ensure your almond flour is 'superfine' or 'blanched'. If you only have almond meal (with skins), the texture will be rustic and coarser.
- For the ganache, use chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids to balance the richness of the almond cake.
- If the cherry jam is very stiff, warm it slightly in a microwave for 10 seconds to make it spoonable.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 day — Texture degrades rapidly; best consumed within 8 hours of baking.
