2 flavor-filled recipes for a summer berry cake that’s Gluten-Free.
These almond cakes with luscious strawberry or blueberry filling are a delightful variation on Financiers, small French pastries that Andrew used to bring home every Friday from the late lamented Maison Keyser. Melissa Clark crafted this recipe with almond flour, brown butter, and roasted berries. They’re an irresistible treat. Especially after the berry flavor has been intensified. The strawberries or blueberries are carefully roasted before being added to the batter. This roasting 
process not only concentrates the berries’ taste but also prevents them from releasing their juices into the cakes, so they keep their light and airy texture. These cakes make a simple dessert or a delightful anytime treat. To make them even more indulgent, serve them with a scoop of ice cream or sorbet. Eat them when they’re fresh from the oven. They will stay fresh for a day or two in an airtight container stored at room temperature.
Almond Flour is the key to these sensational miniature fruit cakes
Almond flour is a finely ground flour made from blanched almonds. It’s an ideal alternative to traditional wheat flour especially if you’re baking for anyone with a gluten sensitivity or just following a gluten-free diet. Almond flour has also gained in popularity in recent years due to its nutritional benefits. It’s rich in nutrients, including healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. And it’s low in carbs compared to regular flour. Healthy fats? Yes! They’re responsible for making you feel full and satisfied when you eat. When you bake with Almond Flour, it gives what you bake a moist and tender texture. Though it may sound like it, Almond Flour is not perfect. If you have any kind of nut allergy, think about substituting coconut, rice, or oat flour. Almond Flour’s fat content means it can turn rancid if not stored in the refrigerator or freezer. It’s also more expensive because almonds are expensive. But to us, it’s worth every penny.
How to concentrate the flavor of both strawberries and blueberries…or for that matter any berry regardless of the season.
When you roast fresh berries, you caramelize them. Not only does this make the fruit easy to fold into a dense batter like the one in this recipe. The batter is rich in browned butter and once the caramelized berries are added, the intense flavor and juices give the finished cakes a wonderful fruit flavor. While summer’s berries will almost automatically make these cakes a taste sensation, keep this technique in your back pocket. When winter’s bland berries make their comeback, you know how to make them shine. Here’s the recipe and after it, some other Almond desserts to try.
Strawberry or Blueberry Almond Cakes
These berry-filled almond cakes are a riff on the French financier. And they're Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 7 ounces/200 grams fresh strawberries, cut into ½-inch chunks (about 1½ cups) or identical quantity of blueberries, whole
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus more for the pan
- ¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
- 2 cups/230 grams of confectioners’ sugar
- 1 3/4 cup/190 grams almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix strawberries with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until the strawberries have released a bit of juice and are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. If using blueberries, reserve 1/2 cup of blueberries whole. Put the remaining blueberries on a baking sheet and ‘squish’ them slightly with a spatula. Roast. At the end of the roast, add the 1/2 cup whole blueberries to the mix
- Step 2 In a small saucepan, melt butter, letting it cook until it turns nut brown and smells toasted about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool. (Do not scrape up any black bits from the bottom of the pot.)
- Step 3 Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine sugar, almond flour, and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on low speed (or use a whisk and a strong arm), beat in egg whites until the flour mixture is damp. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed (or vigorously by hand) until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. At this point, the batter can be used immediately or refrigerated for up to 4 days without the berries.
- Step 4 Right before baking, drain the roasted berries from their liquid and blot them on a paper towel or clean cloth. Fold the roasted berries into the batter. (You may have about 1 to 2 tablespoons of berry syrup left to add to yogurt or seltzer.)
- Step 5 Butter 12 (½-cup) muffin cups and coat all over with a little granulated sugar. Divide batter across the cups, and bake at 400F until the financiers are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 15 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.
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