Almond Cakes

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An homage to denmark's sublime almond pastries, these delicate little cakes provide a nice hit of almond to complement black licorice pudding (recipe#234934); they're also a lovely nibble on their own with a cup of tea. from gourmet 3/2007

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Steps

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10special equipment: 12 barquette molds or a mini-muffin pan with 12 muffin cups preparation.

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Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400f brush molds with melted butter and lightly dust with flour , knocking out excess flour.

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Stir together flour and salt in a small bowl.

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Beat together softened butter and granulated sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy.

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Beat in almond paste and vanilla until combined well , then beat in egg until combined.

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Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture , mixing until just combined.

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Divide batter among molds or muffin cups , spreading evenly , then transfer to a baking sheet.

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Bake cakes until just firm and edges are golden , about 15 minutes.

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Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely , about 5 minutes.

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Turn cakes right side up and dust tops with confectioners sugar just before serving', cooks'"]".

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Ingredients

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unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, almond paste, pure vanilla extract, egg', confectioners' sugar"]"