If your spring gathering is small and intimate, this recipe from blogger Ken Leung yields a modest six mini-bundt cakes. But double it if you’re expecting more company and this is the only dessert you’ll be serving, as these are sure to go fast! As Ken says, “orange, honey, and almonds–what could be bad about that?”
FOR THE CAKE
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) cake flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup (5-1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 5 ounces almond paste
- 12 tablespoons (6 ounces/1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
Directions
Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 6-count bundtlette pan with cooking spray and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk eggs and extracts together in a measuring cup and set aside.
Using a standing mixer and a paddle attachment, beat sugar, orange zest, and almond paste on medium-low speed until sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat until mixture resembles coarse sand, about 2 minutes.
Add butter and honey, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low, add vanilla-egg mixture, a little at a time, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in two additions until barely combined, with a few white streaks still visible. Remove bowl and finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared baking pan, about 3/4 full. Bake until cakes are golden brown and until a toothpick inserted into cakes comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on cooling rack for 5 minutes, then un-mold by inverting the pan onto a lightly greased cooling rack. Set over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cool for 20 minutes.
FOR THE GLAZE
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 4-5 teaspoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and partially crushed
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, Grand Marnier, vanilla extract, salt, and 3 teaspoons of orange juice. Add remaining orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve a smooth pourable consistency
Spoon half of the glaze over cakes. Let set for 5 minutes, then spoon the rest of the glaze over cake and sprinkle toasted almonds on top. Serve. (Cakes can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for two days.)
– Originally from Hong Kong, Ken Leung’s blog Hungry Rabbit focuses mainly on baking, with a nod to architectural design sensibility as evidenced in his spectacular photography. His food-loving sensibilities were heightened in NYC, where his culinary ambitions are being more deeply explored.
