Mini Chocolate Almond Cakes with Blackberry Buttercream and Chocolate Glaze
, Updated Sep 29, 2018
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Intensely chocolatey cakes with blackberry buttercream and rich chocolate glaze.
There was this chocolate almond cake I made all the time when I was in college. It was a very simple recipe that somehow always turned out great no matter how badly I followed the instructions (greasing the tin? who needs to do that?).
Unfortunately I can’t, for the life of me, remember where the recipe came from – quite a likely something that was passed down from my mother or from a baking book I had at the time.
I hadn’t thought about that cake in years, but I was overwhelmed with such a massive craving for chocolate the other day that I needed to make something quick and easy to satisfy the chocolate monster.
Since I could not find the recipe I decided to play around with the base ingredients: chocolate, eggs, butter, sugar, almonds and flour.
I remembered the cake was light but also very chocolatey – as if someone had taken brownies and made them less dense but no less delicious.
I am incredibly pleased to announce that my first attempt at recreating the recipe of my youth worked brilliantly – these mini chocolate and almond cakes are amazing!
Seriously easy, seriously yummy, and they taste even better the day after you bake them.
Mini Chocolate Almond Cakes with Blackberry Buttercream and Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
- 250 g | 8.8oz plain dark chocolate, chopped
- 250 g | 8.8oz caster sugar
- 150 g | 5.3oz unsalted butter
- 125 g | 4oz ground almonds
- 75 g | 2.5oz plain all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs separated
- ½ tsp vanilla paste
- pinch salt
- Blackberry buttercream
- 10 large blackberries I used frozen
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- ---
- 250 g | 8.8oz icing sugar
- 115 g | 4oz unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2-3 tbsp double cream
- Chocolate glaze
- 150 g | 5.3oz plain dark chocolate, chopped small
- 150 g | 5.3oz double cream
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 2-3 tbsp whole milk to thin glaze optional
- cocoa nibs or edible flowers to decorate optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and grease a mini sandwich tin with butter. Alternatively line a muffin tin with cupcake cases or use a greased silicone muffin tin or round cake tin, greased and lined.
- Beat the egg whites and salt until you have stiff peaks and set aside.
- Place the chocolate and butter in a small pot and melt gently over very low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Stir in the egg yolks, vanilla paste and sugar. Sift in the almonds and flour and stir together until smooth.
- Add a third of the egg whites to loosen to the batter and then gently fold the rest.
- Fill the mini sandwich tin or cupcake cases about halfway up and bake for 20-23 minutes for mini cakes/cupcakes or up to 40-45 minutes for a cake. The surface of the cakes will crackle a little - that's normal. Cool in the tin and then carefully turn out.
- Put the blackberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook until the blackberries burst and release their juices then strain the pulp and reserve the syrup.
- Beat the icing sugar and butter until fluffy and then gradually add the double cream and enough of the blackberry syrup to get a lovely colour.
- Put the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the cream and golden syrup until almost boiling then pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes then stir until silky smooth. Add the milk if you need to thin it out slightly.
- If you wish to layer the cakes, then cut them in half and level if needed. Sandwich together with a little of the buttercream and then drizzle with the chocolate glaze until it starts to drip down the sides. Decorate with cocoa nibs or edible flowers (I used lilacs). The cakes keep very well for a couple of days.
Notes
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These are so good Lucy, they look lovely and the colours are so beautiful, you must've known you were onto a winner when you made these, they photograph beautifully.
Very beautiful and delicious Lucy ! Thanks so much for your recipe.
I love the flavour combination between chocolate, almond and blackberry! This is genius. The combination is so rich and yet so delicate.
Your cakes are absolutely lovely. The size is just perfect!
Your base cake looks like French chocolate cake, which is probably why it's so tasty without buttercream or chocolate sauce. Here, we just eat it plain! But I must say I really want to try this recipe of yours!
Your buttercream seems delicious too! I love blackberries. The layer of buttercream is thin, but not too thin so that it must taste wonderfully and melt in your mouth.
I love the chocolate glaze too! Chocolate is life. That's it!
By the way, your pictures are beautiful! I love the composition and depth, they just make me drool.
Anyways, thank you very for sharing this lovely recipe.
I think you are probably right – this does sound like chocolate gateaux base. I wonder if the original recipe came from my mum's recipe collection as she had some Patisserie books. Sounds like a likely candidate! Thanks for your comment and lovely compliments, very much appreciate you stopping by.