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Irish Almond Cakes




Source of Recipe


Ell.1/EDC


Recipe Introduction


These are my favorite cookie. They consist of an almond paste center (that puffs a little because of the egg) covered with pastry and sugary sliced almonds. They are like little cakes except you eat them without a fork.




Recipe Link: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-fdcooking&msg=10008.1

List of Ingredients




Pastry
1 ½ cups sifted all purp flour
3oz (¾ stick) butter
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup + 1 TBSP superfine sugar
Generous pinch of salt
1 egg
Almond Paste
2 ½ oz ( ½ cup) blanched almonds, finely ground
3 TBSP confectioners sugar
1 egg
2 TBSP superfine sugar
1/8 tsp almond extract
Topping
Granulated sugar
1 3/4 oz (1/2 cup) sliced almonds, coarsely broken
Reserved ½ egg
Confectioners sugar

Recipe



Note: To make superfine sugar, put granulated sugar in the food processor. I used regular sugar.

Pastry: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Beat the egg lightly just to mix and add it to the mixture. Stir together a bit and then turn out onto a board or smooth surface. Squeeze the dough between your hands to work it together and then knead it until it is smooth and the board is clean. Form into a roll about 8” long. Wrap airtight. Set aside at room temperature.

Almond Paste: In a small bowl, with a rubber spatula, mix the ground almonds with both sugars, pressing against the sides and bottom of the bowl to mix the ingredients thoroughly. With a fork or small whisk, beat the egg lightly, just to mix. Reserve half of it (about 2 TBSPfuls) to use later. To the remaining half, mix in the almond extract. Add to the ground almond mixture and, still using the rubber spatula, work the egg mixture in to form a stiff almond paste. Using two teaspoons, one for picking up the almond paste and one for pushing it off, divide into 16 even mounds on a piece of waxed paper.

Adjust the rack to the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400*. Cut aluminum foil to fit cookie sheets.

Topping: Place some granulated sugar on a piece of waxed paper. Roll each mound of almond paste in the sugar and then roll between the palms of your hands into a small ball. Set aside. Cut the reserved pastry in half the long way and then across into eighths, forming 16 even pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten it quite thin between your hands, pressing with your fingers against the pastry in the palm of your hand. Enclose a ball of the almond paste in the flattened pastry. Bring up the edges of the pastry and pinch to seal. The almond paste should be completely enclosed. Roll into a smooth ball. Place 1 ½ to 2 inches apart on prepared aluminum foil.

Brush the tops and sides of the cakes with the reserved half egg. Sprinkle generously with the broken, sliced almonds. Slide two cookie sheets under the paper to protect the bottoms of the cakes from burning. Bake 20 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned. With a metal spatula, transfer to a rack to cool.

Cover tops generously with confectioners sugar. Makes 16 little cakes - like petit fours.