Mini amandines
Mini amandines: the perfect delight for any occasion
Who doesn't love amandines? These fine pastries, with an intense chocolate flavor and a soft, moist texture, are ideal for serving at parties, birthdays, or simply to indulge your taste buds. In this captivating and detailed recipe, I will guide you step by step on how to prepare delicious mini amandines using simple ingredients and easy-to-follow techniques. It’s a simple recipe, but with an impressive result!
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Number of servings: 12 mini amandines
Ingredients:
For the cake base:
- 4 eggs
- 120 g sugar
- 100 g flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1/2 packet of baking powder
- A pinch of salt
For the syrup:
- 150 ml water
- 100 g sugar
- 2 tablespoons rum essence (or vanilla, if you prefer)
For the chocolate cream:
- 200 g dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa)
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 50 g butter
For the glaze:
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 50 g butter
Instructions:
1. Preparing the cake base: Start by preheating the oven to 180°C. Separate the eggs into two bowls – the egg whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you get a firm foam. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture becomes glossy and firm. Add the yolks, gently folding them in with a spatula.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder over the egg mixture and gently fold them in with light, upward strokes to avoid losing air. Pour the batter into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, smoothing it out.
3. Bake the base for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool completely in the tray.
4. Preparing the syrup: In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat and add the rum essence. Let the syrup cool.
5. Preparing the chocolate cream: Melt the chocolate together with the heavy cream in a double boiler, stirring constantly. Once melted, add the butter cut into cubes and mix until smooth. Let the cream cool to room temperature.
6. Assembling the mini amandines: Cut the cooled base into small squares. Soak each square in the prepared syrup, then fill each square with chocolate cream, covering it with another square to form a "sandwich." Continue until all squares are used.
7. Preparing the glaze: Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Let the glaze cool slightly, then dip each mini amandine in the glaze, allowing the excess to drip off.
8. Arrange the mini amandines on a platter and let them set at room temperature.
Serving suggestions: You can serve the mini amandines with a dollop of whipped cream or alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious contrast. These pastries are perfect to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea.
Possible variations: You can experiment with different flavors by adding a splash of orange essence to the chocolate cream or the soaking syrup. You can also replace dark chocolate with white or milk chocolate, depending on your preferences.
These mini amandines are not only a quick and delicious dessert but also a fantastic way to bring a touch of magic to any occasion. So, put on your apron and unleash your creativity in the kitchen!
1. The almond cake In a bowl, put the egg whites from the 6 eggs and mix them well until they stiffen in the bowl. Then add the sugar, water, and the yolks mixed with the oil, and start mixing with a spoon, not with a mixer, from the bottom up, until the egg whites are incorporated. After incorporating the egg whites, gradually add the flour mixed with cocoa and mix with a mixer (use a large bowl). You will get a thinner batter. Pour the batter into a not very large tray, line the tray, and place baking paper on the bottom. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 175 degrees; during the last 5 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 190 degrees. Once the cake is ready, cut it in half and let it cool. Leave it like that and let's prepare the syrup. 2. Syrup Put all the syrup ingredients in a small pot to boil, and from the moment it starts to boil, let it cook for 5 more minutes, and you will obtain an ugly but good syrup. Let the syrup cool and move on to prepare the cream. 3. Almond cream In a bowl, put the partially melted margarine. Mix it well until it reaches the consistency of a thinner mayonnaise. Add the powdered sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the yolks and cocoa and mix until you obtain a cream. 4. Assembly Place the first half of the cake on a tray, spoon syrup over the entire cake, then add all the cream (I used it all), then place the other half of the cake over the cream and syrup again. Do not use all the syrup; it's too much, but you can do as you wish. After that, put the tray with the cut, syrup-soaked, and cream-covered cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (I left it longer, overnight). On a baking paper, I cut the cake into smaller rectangles (you can cut them larger) and decorated them. Obviously, almond cake without glaze is not possible, so I chose caramel glaze instead of chocolate. I prepared the glaze according to the instructions and glazed the pastries. Normally, the recipe stops here, but I had an idea, so I melted some cooking chocolate (about 75 g) in a bain-marie. I put the melted chocolate in a bag, which I cut a little at one corner, and continued to decorate. Enjoy your meal! The Mini almond recipe was proposed by Pocahontas on the recipe forum.
Ingredients: Base: 6 eggs, 200 g sugar, 30 ml water, 30 ml oil, 20 g cocoa, 8 tablespoons of flour. Syrup: 400 ml water, 200 g sugar, 2 packets of chocolate cappuccino. Cream: 3 egg yolks, 150 g powdered sugar, 1 package of margarine (250 g), 3 tablespoons cocoa.
Tags: cake with cream chocolate cake homemade cookies chocolate cake
