Mini chocolate almond tortes

This is the perfect dessert, light, chocolatey and with a touch of almond for extra flavour.

Credit: Mary's Kitchen Crush

• makes

  12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Cakes

• ¼ cup (60 g) fine almond meal (almond flour), for dusting
• 3 eggs, separated
• ½ tsp (3g) salt
• 3 tsp + ⅔ cup (15 g + 150 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 115 g dark chocolate, melted
• ½ tsp (3 g) instant espresso powder
• 1½ tbsp (30ml) almond liqueur
• ¼ tsp (2 ml) almond extract
• ⅓ cup (75 g) fine almond meal (almond flour)
• ½ cup (56 g) cake and pastry flour (see Note)

Ganache Glaze

• 60 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp (30ml) almond liqueur
• 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter
• ½ tsp (3g) vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp (1g) salt

To decorate

• Sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Cool completely before icing.

Instructions

1. For the cake, heat oven to 176°C (350°F). Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Sprinkle each cup with a tsp of almond flour to coat. Tap out any excess; set aside.
2. Beat egg whites and salt together in a large bowl with a hand mixer until soft peaks. With hand mixer running, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon sugar; beat until stiff peaks. Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Using the same bowl, combine remaining sugar and butter. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in 3 egg yolks. Scrape down bowl and continue to beat until the mixture is light, about 2 minutes. Add melted chocolate slowly until combined.
4. Combine espresso powder, liqueur and almond extract in a small bowl. Stream into chocolate mixture, beating well to combine.
5. Whisk together flours in a medium bowl.
6. Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into chocolate mixture, then gently fold in half the flour mixture, followed by another third of the whites. Repeat additions, ending with egg whites.
7. Divide batter into muffin tins and bake until set and no longer shiny, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of pan and flip cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
8. For ganache glaze, melt together chocolate, liqueur and butter in a medium bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water.  Cool for 5 minutes; stir in vanilla and salt.
9. Cool to room temperature before spooning over cakes and sprinkling with almonds.

 

Note

• Cake and pastry flour is available from some supermarkets and specialists retailers. You can use normal plain flour instead.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.