Blackberry Almond Mini Cakes
Sweet and lemony, these mini cakes with blackberries are among the best I've ever made. They freeze well, have a great texture from the almond flour, and can be made with other berries.
Servings 6 mini cakes
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour or use rice flour for a GF version
- ½ cup almond flour or same amount of finely ground almonds
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 2 egg whites
- ⅔ cup blackberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºC (180°C).
- Butter or spray 6 mini brioche molds (2.5 to 3 inches in diameter or 6 to 7.5cm). or regular muffin molds.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the sifted flour and confectioners’ sugar together with the almond meal, salt and baking powder.
- Make a well in the center and add the vanilla extract or paste, zest and egg whites.
- Mix until well combined. Add the melted butter and mix carefully until fully incorporated. The mixture will be silky and shiny.
- Cut the blackberries in thirds.
- Put the individual molds on a cookie tray, and divide the batter evenly among them.
- Add the blackberry pieces on top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack and then carefully remove from pans. Cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Mini pans: I like to use these fluted brioche molds because they look cute and I already had them. But tartlet molds or regular muffin cups would be my other choices as they work just as well. Depending on the size, you might get more cakes. Just make sure you fill them no more than ¾ of their capacity.
Gluten-free variation: substitute the same amount of rice flour (white or brown) for the all-purpose flour.
Berries: use frozen blackberries directly from the freezer; there is no need to thaw them. Raspberries and blueberries also go very well with this recipe.
