Friday, May 25, 2007

Petit Almond Cakes











There was a time when I would worry about having something wonderfully sweet tucked away in my freezer if someone stopped by..... for an unannounced visit-well, here is my sweet little standby. I just bake the cakes and pop them in a plastic bag ......when I need them, I whip up the easy frosting to drizzle over the cakes while they are thawing. These dainty little morsels remain moist and fit perfectly perched up against a cup of coffee.........

For the Cakes~

6 ounces of melted butter
6 egg whites
1 cup of ground almond meal
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of almond flavoring
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of finely grated fresh lime rind
2 teaspoons of finely grated fresh orange rind

For Icing~
2 teaspoons of softened butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 large tablespoon of orange juice
1 large tablespoon of fresh lime juice


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare/grease cupcake pans. This recipe will make around 12 cupcakes. Whisk the egg whites gently by hand until they are slightly frothy. Add the sugar, almond meal, flour, butter, flavoring and grated fruit rinds. Whisk again until all ingredients are blended. Pour the mixture evenly into cupcake pans. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Coool on wire racks.
Make a paste by gradually adding the orange juice, half of the butter and powdered sugar. Mix well until the icing has a spreading consistency. (You may need to add a tad more of liquid.) Spread on cakes. Now, repeat the process using the lime juice, remaining powdered sugar and the remaining butter. Ice again........it is a two step process, but the effect is worth it!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Jann! So pretty!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Ah, Jann, these are so very perfect and I love that they can be done for the "emergency" guest! Everybody needs several of these at the ready.

K and S said...

That is a nice stand-by dessert :) I should get into the habit of having some around...although I would probably eat them all :)

Jann said...

Ivonne-thank you for your comment-hearing from you is always a pleasure!
My kitchen-thanks for stopping by. It does require some thinking in advance,don't do that too often! Heehee!
K&S-there again, another concern-eating it myself because I know I have it around! Thanks for visiting today, take care!

Katie Zeller said...

What a wonderful idea! And so organized! But, in all honesty, I know I'll never get around to doing it...and if I ded I would never have an unexpected visitor. They only drop by when the larder is empty you know....

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

These look beautiful. I love almond cakes and pastries, and who doesn't appreciate a recipe that you can make in advance!

Simona Carini said...

I love almonds and use them in industrial quantities. Jann, do you toast the almonds before grinding them to a meal? I'd like to try your recipe. Also, do you thaw them at room temperature or in a warm oven?
Thanks!!!

Truffle said...

These are absolutely beautiful! They look ever so elegant and I bet they're delicious too!

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

Thank you for visiting my blog, it led me to you. Beautiful pic and they sound delicious. Somehow a pic of yours came up that said Melbourne, Kangaroo Island. I went there nearly 20 years ago. It was pure fluke and I couldn't find the picture again, so I don't know when you went or even if you wrote about it. Will be back to read more - food and travel go on hand in hand. Amanda

Jann said...

Katiez~hey, you never know when I might stop by! Get baking!!!
T.W.-I am always running short on time and need all the help i can get~My motto-be prepared!

Simona~Thanks you for visiting` I love your site and I'm learning new words! The almond flour I buy from Trader Joes, already ground.I thaw the cakes at room temp. They actually don't become completely frozen...beats me~?@#
Truffle~thank you for your kind words...
Little foodie-i love this title! thanks for your kind comments and so happy you visited my site~

Anonymous said...

What a great idea, and one I could use often! Hopefully, some of them will be saved for the surprise visitor...but I fear I would eat all of them. Hot almond orange anything might be too tempting to save.
Great photo too!!

Christine said...

What a sweet little cake. I'm saving this so I can stock up my freezer!
Jann, somehow your blog slipped out of my rss reader and I thought you'd gone traveling again. I'm so sorry I haven't been visiting your site. You've made some wonderful posts AND changed your format, which I love!
I'm fixing my reader now so I won't miss any of your posts from now on.

Parisbreakfasts said...

What an exquisite photo!
And that dessert looks too too divine...

Ilva said...

I cannot but agree with all of what is written above! A lovely photo too!

Peter M said...

Hi Jann, lucky you being in France all summer. This cake looks great...with a strong espresso. Thanks for visiting my blog and and I'll be checking on yours too!

Peter

Helene said...

Looks fantastic. Love the recipe and the icing part!