Almond Coconut Mini Cakes Recipes

ALMOND-COCONUT MINI CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (6-cup) mini fluted tube cake pans with shortening; lightly sprinkle with cocoa. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In another medium bowl, mix boiling water and 1/2 cup cocoa; stir in sour cream until well blended. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and cocoa mixture, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in miniature chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among pans, filling each two-thirds full.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around edges. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar, whipping cream and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cakes.
• In small resealable freezer plastic bag, place milk chocolate chips; seal bag. Microwave on High about 1 minute or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until chocolate is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate over cakes. Sprinkle with coconut, almonds and mini chocolate chips.

MINI ALMOND CAKES WITH CHOCOLATE OR CHERRY

Steps:

• Make the chocolate ganache, if using: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat cream until bubbling (or place the cream in a glass measuring cup and heat it in the microwave). Remove from heat, add chocolate and let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Transfer chocolate to a small container (preferably metal) and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Scoop and roll into 3/4-inch balls. Note that the ganache is very soft and can be messy to handle, but getting perfectly round balls isn't necessary. Place in refrigerator until needed. Ganache balls can be prepared up to 1 week ahead.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a muffin tin.
• Using a food processor or blender, mix almond flour, confectioners' sugar and salt until powdery, about 30 seconds. Add eggs and almond extract and process until smooth, 30 seconds longer. Pulse in butter, cornstarch and baking powder. Scrape mixture into a large bowl.
• Using a beaters or an electric mixer, whip egg whites until very foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar while beating eggs until stiff peaks form.
• Using a spatula, gently and carefully fold a third of the egg whites into almond mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the rest of the whites just until no streaks remain.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Pull balls of ganache from refrigerator, if using, and place 1 ball in center of each cake, pushing it down halfway into batter. Or spoon 1 teaspoon cherry jam on top of each cake; do not push down. Return to oven and bake until light brown and a toothpick inserted into cake (and not the chocolate or cherry) comes out clean, another 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably within 8 hours of baking.

TOASTED ALMOND-COCONUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup mini-muffin tin.
• On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the coconut and almond flour, side by side. Toast until both are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through and keeping a close watch at the end. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.
• Use your fingertips to grind the coconut with the almond flour to break it down into small pieces. Add the sugar, flour and salt, and whisk to combine.
• Whisk in the egg whites and almond extract, then the melted butter.
• Divide the batter evenly among the greased cups. (A small cookie scoop makes easy work of this task.) Tap the pan on the countertop to smooth the tops.
• Bake until the cakes spring back when pressed gently in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Pop them out of the tin, using a small offset spatula or knife to loosen the edges if needed, and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
• Melt the chocolate and oil together in a small bowl in short, 10-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate and oil over a double boiler on the stove.)
• Dip half of each financier in the chocolate and set on a rack until set, at least 30 minutes.

MINI CHOCOLATE-COCONUT CAKES

Steps:

• Make the cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat two 6-compartment nonstick sphere-shaped silicone molds with cooking spray, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Sift flours, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt into the bowl of a mixer. Beat in oil, sour cream, warm water, egg, and egg yolk with mixer on low speed. Continue to beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Working in batches, divide batter among molds (3 tablespoons each). Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cakes cool in molds set on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edges of each cake to remove from molds. Let cakes cool completely on rack.
• Meanwhile, make almond syrup: Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Stir in almond extract. Brush cakes all over with warm almond syrup. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Bring 3/4 cup sugar, the water, and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until a candy thermometer reaches 230 degrees.
• Meanwhile, whisk egg whites to soft peaks with a mixer on medium-high speed. Whisk in remaining tablespoon sugar.
• Once syrup reaches 230 degrees, immediately pour it down sides of bowl in a slow, steady stream with the mixer on medium-low speed. Raise speed to medium-high. Beat until cooled and stiff, but not dry, peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add almond extract and 1 drop food coloring. Continue to beat for 1 minute.
• Frost cakes using a small offset spatula, then coat each with coconut.

COCONUT-ALMOND WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 15x10x1-inch pan with parchment paper.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt together 3 times in a bowl.
• Beat egg whites using an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until foamy. Add 1/2 of the total amount of sugar gradually; continue to beat until soft peaks form.
• Beat butter using an electric mixer in a separate bowl until creamy. Gradually add remaining sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with coconut milk and almond milk in small amounts at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flaked coconut, almonds, almond extract, coconut extract, and vanilla extract. Add egg white-sugar mixture and beat thoroughly into batter. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes; remove cake and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While cake continues to cool, beat butter, salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and coconut extract together in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar to butter mixture alternately with coconut milk, beating until smooth. Frost cooled cake.