Almond Tea Cakes Recipe
🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
🕒 Cook Time: 15 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 30 minutes
🥄 Servings: 12 tea cakes
🥑 Calories: 83.8 per tea cake
Description:
Indulge in the delightful charm of these Almond Tea Cakes – they’re incredibly light and bursting with flavor. Straight from the oven, they offer a delightful chewiness that pairs perfectly with your favorite cup of tea. This recipe comes from the esteemed Executive Pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons cake flour
- 4 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions:
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Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your mini muffin tins and set them aside, ensuring they’re ready for the batter.
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Combine Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, sift together 2 ounces of granulated sugar, ground almonds, and cake flour. Mix well to ensure even distribution.
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Create Almond Paste: Add 1 egg white to the dry ingredients mixture, stirring until it forms a smooth paste. This will provide the base for your tea cakes.
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Whip Egg Whites: In a separate bowl, whip the remaining 3 egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add the remaining granulated sugar, continuing to whip until the meringue is firm yet still moist.
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Fold Meringue: Gently fold the meringue into the almond paste mixture, ensuring thorough incorporation. Be careful not to overmix to maintain the airy texture.
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Add Heavy Cream: Once the meringue is fully incorporated, gently fold in the heavy cream to add richness and moisture to the batter. Mix until homogeneous.
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Fill Muffin Tins: Fill the prepared mini muffin tins halfway with the batter, ensuring even distribution for uniform tea cakes.
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Bake: Place the filled muffin tins promptly in the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 8 to 12 minutes, or until the tea cakes turn a beautiful golden hue. The exact baking time may vary depending on the size of your molds, so keep an eye on them to prevent overcooking.
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Cool and Unmold: Once baked, allow the tea cakes to cool in the muffin tins for about 5 minutes. Then carefully unmold them and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Dust with Confectioners’ Sugar: Just before serving, dust the cooled tea cakes generously with confectioners’ sugar for an added touch of sweetness and elegance.
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Storage: Store any remaining tea cakes in an airtight container to maintain their freshness and texture.
Nutritional Information (per tea cake):
- Calories: 83.8
- Fat Content: 3.1g
- Saturated Fat Content: 0.5g
- Cholesterol Content: 1.7mg
- Sodium Content: 19.8mg
- Carbohydrate Content: 12.1g
- Fiber Content: 0.5g
- Sugar Content: 9.8g
- Protein Content: 2.5g
Enjoy these delightful Almond Tea Cakes as a sweet treat for brunch or anytime you crave a light, flavorful indulgence!
