Almond Cupcakes
My mom is an excellent cook! She always says she'll make any meal so long as someone else picks it. I'd have to same I'm the same way...sometimes. I've been baking cupcakes for almost a decade and I tend to pick my favorites - anything chocolate or the Very Vanilla.
A few weeks ago an old coworker approached me about making her daughter's birthday cupcakes. If you don't follow me on Instagram, take a peek because they turned out so cute! She reviewed my standard cupcake menu, but suggested an almond and amaretto cupcake. I'd never made anything like that before, even though I love almond sweets. So, I was happy to try out some recipes and find a new cake flavor to add to my repertoire.
I knew I wanted a cake with a real almond flavor and I didn't want to rely exclusively on extract. It was surprisingly hard to find, but in the recipe below, the baker used coconut milk. I thought why not try almond milk! The cakes came out very light and moist, which is apparent in my first photo at the top of this post, and the almond flavor was subtle. The cake paired nicely with the marzipan frosting - so delicious.
INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla, almond extract, and almond milk and beat until combined. On low speed gradually add in flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Use a spring-loaded scoop or spoon to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin cups. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 18 minutes.
{recipe adapted from Handle the Heat}
ALMOND BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1-7 oz box Odense Marzipan, grated
2 tbs. almond butter
6 - 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
PREPARATION
Add grated Marzipan and butter into a medium bowl. Beat on low until combined. Turn speed to high and beat into a smooth paste.
Add sugar. Beat on low until combined. Turn mixer to high and beat until smooth. If frosting is too stiff, add one teaspoon of almond milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.
