Category: Almond

Macaron

11/16/2020

One of the iconic tests of a baker's skill, the macaron, was something I had never had an inclination to try. Not only because of their storied fussiness, but quite simply, I hadn't liked to eat them. But! I was introduced to an episode or two of the Great British Baking Show in which featured a showstopper piece that used tiny, adorable maroon macarons ... and I was hooked. I absolutely had to try making them because they were just so cute and tidy-looking.

Well, as happy endings go, this won the slam dunk, as in the process of having to taste-test my own work, I started learning an appreciation for the taste and texture of the macaron as I tried to figure what the heck made them so special to other consumers. And now, I love both playing around with these little bakery sandwiches and consuming the results! Win-win!

100 g egg whites, room temperature (about 3 large eggs)
90 g granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (800mg)
130 g almond flour
130 g powdered sugar

Note: If you would like more details about the process (along with why you should or should not do certain things), this website was an excellent resource during my research. It helped me make proper macarons right out of the gate, no failures at all!

1-3 days before making: Separate egg whites and keep them in a container in the fridge. You may cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap and poke several holes into the top. When ready to make the macarons, take the egg whites out of the fridge an hour beforehand and let them come up to room temperature.
(optional) Prepare a guide for the macarons by printing out rows of one-inch circles on 4 sheets of paper and lining them on the bottoms of two baking sheets.
Lay parchment paper over two baking sheets, cutting them down to the size of the sheet tray. It's important not to fold over/overlap the parchment paper on itself, otherwise the macarons won't bake evenly.
Gently sift the confectioners sugar and almond flour into a bowl (don't try to force it through the sieve), throwing away the large bits that are left behind (don't be afraid to toss as much as a teaspoon's worth if necessary). Transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times for several seconds at a time. Then sift back into a bowl, once again throwing away the large pieces.
Add the room temperature egg whites into a very clean bowl.
Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites. Once they begin to foam add the cream of tartar and then SLOWLY start to add the granulated sugar while you whip to the soft peak stage.
(optional) You can add food coloring if desired at any point between now and just before step 10. However, if you're planning on making more than one color of macaron from a single batch of batter, I would suggest you add it toward the end of step 9, just as the batter is coming together into its "lava" form. The last few folds of the spatula to mix the color thoroughly will also help the batter achieve this final state. It may take a little practice to recognize when the batter is about to achieve this ideal phase, so I would suggest making it using a single color a few times first until you learn the timing of each phase the batter goes through.
Add the vanilla. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Begin folding in 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Once incorporated, carefully add the remaining dry ingredients and fold gently. It will go through a stage in which the batter looks granular, but keep folding and it will slowly start to incorporate and smooth out.
The final mixture should look like flowing lava, and be able to form a figure eight in the bowl without breaking the stream of falling batter. Spoon into a piping bag with a medium round piping tip and you’re ready to start piping.
If you want, you can glue down the parchment paper onto the baking sheet with dabs of batter under the corners. Pipe dollops onto the parchment paper by holding the bag straight up and down, squeezing, and then lifting with a circular motion of the tip. Once all the macarons are piped, lift up the baking sheet and let it drop on the counter several times to release air bubbles. Allow to sit for at least 40 minutes, or until a tacky "skin" forms on top that won't stick to your finger enough to break away if you tap it gently.
Bake at 300F for 7 minutes, rotate tray, then bake for another 5-8 minutes. The macarons are done when nudging them does not feel like you'll displace the top shell of the macaron from its foot. Allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheet, or else the foot might stick.

Note: Macarons are best made 1-3 days before being consumed. Even if you misjudge and overbake the macaron, they will soften over time. Pipe filling into their centers, then keep them in a covered container, and they will gradually absorb moisture and become more chewy.

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Almond Cupcakes

7/30/2020

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This started when one of my best friends gave me some homemade apple jam made from her homegrown apples. Since I don't eat a lot of toast in general, I was trying to figure out if there were baked goods I could use it in without losing it as a flavor. While apple sauce and any fruit in general is a wonderful source of moisture for cakes, I wanted to actually taste it. Also, most baked goods that include apples tend to ask for the original fruit itself, whether in slices or chunks, rather than in jam form.

So, then came the idea of using it as a filling in cored out cupcakes, and I stumbled across this recipe for an almond cupcake that, coincidentally, was already going the jam-filled route! As it so happened, the cupcake itself was good enough to stand on its own even without the extra jam and icing, so it's getting its own recipe space. Extra bonus is that since it's made from almond flour rather than refined flour, I can eat a lot more of it without getting nasty sugar spikes! Yum!

Cupcake:

3 cups almond flour or meal
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 large eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (to taste)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup fig (or your favorite) jam
Toasted sliced almonds (for serving)

Cupcake:

Preheat oven to 325°. Place cupcake liners in a 12-cup cupcake tray.
Sift almond flour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl; discard any large pieces. Whisk in baking powder and salt.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and whisk in almond-flour mixture and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.
Divide batter among cupcake cups (each one should hold a little less than 1/3 cups). Bake cupcakes, rotating pan partway through, until the tops are golden and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 15–20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool.

Icing:

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and, with motor running, add powdered sugar in 2 additions, beating until fully incorporated after each, about 2 minutes.
Add cream, almond extract, vanilla, and salt and beat until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
Using an apple corer or a knife, punch out about 1" from the top of each cupcake to form a hole in the center. Fill hole with a heaping teaspoonful of jam.
Spread frosting over cupcakes and top each with a small handful of almonds.

Note: While the cupcake can have the sugar reduced a little more if you wish, the icing depends on the sugar for stiffening (and to help mask the pure butter taste, which I personally don't find as fun when eating straight unless it's salted butter). If you're set on reducing the sugar in the icing, then reduce how much cream you add as well, and watch the icing on warm days - you may need to keep it refrigerated to prevent melting.

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Ricotta Almond Peach Crumble Cake

8/21/2018

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I first found this recipe in my inbox via the Tasting Table's newsletter. It seemed like a quick and easy experiment that would give me an excuse to play with the fruit of the season, and so I eked out a two hour period one night to throw this together.

This cake is proof that you can know a person for your whole life and still learn something new about them. I had no idea that my father didn't like peaches until I made this cake, and he asked me what it was and baldly stated when I told him, "Oh. I don't like peaches." Shock and horror on my part ensued.

But this cake was also the first part of a 2-part proof that my father could learn something new too - as in, he actually does like peaches. If they're included in the right way. He pretty much single-handedly finished off the entire thing. On top of that, he claimed that it actually became even better when it was stored in the fridge overnight - I suspect because the chill and the moisture helped to counter the natural mealy-texture of the almond flour. Not to mention that it was super-easy to make.

So, a win-win-win all around!

For the cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft, unsalted butter
1_1/3 cups sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
3 eggs
1_1/2 cups ricotta
1_3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 fresh peaches, diced

For the crumb:

1_1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

The cake:

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and butter it or spray it with nonstick spray.
In a stand mixer or with a handheld beater, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest for 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, scrape down the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in ricotta.
In separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. In 2 to 3 batches, gently mix into butter mixture without overbeating. When fully combined, fold in peaches with a spatula.
Pour batter into prepared pan and set aside while making the crumb.

The crumb:

Combine cake flour, sugar and almonds in a bowl. Use your hands to mix together.
Pour in melted butter and gently toss until soft clumps form. Continue until no more flour is visible, and a crumble has formed with small and large crumbs.
Distribute crumble evenly over cake batter and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating halfway. The cake is done when a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cake fully cool before removing from the pan and serving.

Note: The original crumb recipe called for 2 cups of flour, but I felt that 1) the crumb became an overwhelming layer and 2) the crumb really needed a long time to toast correctly. As it was, I was making the cake late at night, and it was already pushing 1:30 am and I decided to pull it out before the crumb layer was really done, even if the cake was already just right. So hopefully reducing the flour content helps with these two points.

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Macaron

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Ricotta Almond Peach Crumble Cake

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