Warm Blueberry Almond Cake

Warm Blueberry Almond Cake... I have been enjoying a long visit with my parents and haven't had the chance to post anything. But, today, I thought I would sneak back and post a quick recipe for you.... I am still cooking and baking:).

I have seen these cute little cakes on BigOven for some time now... I thought they were the cutest little cakes. Don't you think?...The recipe has been on my mind for a while now. The thought of making small individual cakes out of nuts and fruits appealed to me and I knew I would make them one day. I finally made them...yesterday. The original recipe uses blackberries. I didn't have any and substituted some frozen blueberries. It worked for me. I am sure you can use other fruits as well. If you like almonds, or anything nutty for that matter, you will probably like these cakes. The cake is dense and nutty, but has a crispy crust which I like. They can be a tad bit sweet, so a small piece will go a long way.You can probably serve the cake with some ice cream...though I enjoyed mine plain. You can remove the cakes from the ramekins if you like. Place them on a plate with a drizzle of creme anglaise, some fruit sauce, and a few scattered fresh berries for a pretty presentation...or, you can serve warm in the ramekin. I loved the fact that they were pretty easy to make. They are so elegant and makes for a nice presentation. I thought maybe some of you would like to try it. Hope you enjoy...

You will need: adapted from BigOven

3 3/4 ounces almonds(about a scant 1 cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract(I chose to use 1/4- 1/2 tsp almond extract)

2 large eggs

1/3 cup all purpose flour( you could probably use whole wheat )

1/8 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries(or blackberies)*

2 tablespoons sugar

orange/lemon zest (optional)

*..I didn't measure, I just added some to the ramekins. Also, I used frozen blueberries, which I rinsed briefly and patted dry.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

In a food processor, pulse the almonds with 2 TBS of sugar until finely ground.

Add the flour and salt(you can also add some orange zest, if you like). Pulse just until combined. Set aside.

In a mixer, beat the softened butter with 6 tablespoons of sugar at high speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla(or almond extract), then each egg one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. Reduce the speed and add the almond / flour mixture. Mix to incorporate or until just combined. It will be a thick batter.

Divide batter among buttered ramekins.

I used low flat ramekins. This will make enough for 6 small ramekins. I had 4 and a larger gratin dish which I used.

Place a few blueberries( or you can use blackberries,raspberries,plums, etc..) on top and press them lightly into batter. You can sprinkle some sugar on top...it makes a crust.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake cakes until golden brown with slightly darker edges and is firm. It should be about 20 minutes....though you would want to check at about 15 minute mark. Allow to cook on rack for about 10 minutes. Serve warm. These cakes can be quite rich...a bit of vanilla ice cream would go rather well

The cakes were removed from the ramekins...they would be fun to decorate with a fruit sauce and fresh berries...oh, and some vanilla ice cream.