Almond Cakes
Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 5:04PM 
When TA and I went to DC for New Years we had the chance to dine at Tenh Penh with the MiL and sFiL. While the service could have used a little polishing, the food was particularly delicious. At the end of the meal, in lieu of the traditional fortune cookie, four gorgeous little cakes were dropped off at the table.
They were about the size of a half dollar and smelled gloriously of almonds. They were chewy and dense and sweet and ridiculously delicious. TA and I are both fans of Asian cuisine, especially any sweets made with mochiko, a glutinous rice flour.
First attempt - not enough liquid, too puffy, and not enough sugar or almond extract.I decided right then and there that I absolutely had to try and make these at home and after two failed attempts I finally succeeded. Although these would be even better if I had a mini-muffin pan, they are nevertheless satisfying.
If you're never tried any sweets made with rice flour I highly recommend it. Depending on the amount of liquid used they are delightfully dense and chewy - it's a texture that's hard to explain because it's unlike any other.
Second attempt - too much flour, not enough liquid. Great flavor, but the texture of biscotti
I also thought that these would make a great gift for anyone celebrating Chinese New Year, which falls on February 14 this year. Gifts of sweets are often exchanged in celebration of the New Year and these would be just perfect.
Third attempt - perfect! Dense and chewy, great flavor.
Almond Cakes
Yields approximately 8 cakes
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut milk
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground almonds
non-stick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°F
Cream together butter and sugar. Whisk in egg, almond extract, and coconut milk until thoroughly combined. Mix in rice flour and baking powder. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray and divide evenly among 8 cups. Sprinkle ground almonds over batter. Bake for 30 min. Remove from muffin tin immediately and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Nutritional Estimate
This is a nutritional estimate, regard it as such.
172 calories
19 g carbohydrate
10 g fat
2 g protein
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Reader Comments (13)
These are so cute! I've never had anything like these- they sound so interesting!
An absolute favorite of mine!
Von: They're too good to be true, really.
TA: I know! You ate them all!
I never tried baking using glutinous rice flour. But those muffins look so tempting :)
I cast my vote. Can I vote multiple times?
P.S. That article about people choosing to go without heat was stupid, in my opinion. A perfect example of the NYT romanticizing something that happens to be an unwanted reality for a lot of people. Fifteen degrees inside is only "clarifying" when you spend most of your time in a heated apartment in the city.
Foodtale: You should try it - it's a texture unlike any other. Very satisfying.
Kristin: Thank you! I'm shamelessly begging for support on this one. One computer can vote one time per day - damn IP logging - until Feb. 1st.
Also, I thought that article was an interesting look into the, er...human psyche? I can understand the people that live in low heat, but that woman in the school house from the 19th century? A little bit nutty.
Ah! You are so cute and clever! I voted, I will vote again tomorrow.
Hello,
I just tried this recipe this afternoon because your pictures looked soo cute! - but I'm a little bit disappointed in how mine turned out. They were too brown on the outside and the middle sunk in instead of remaining level, but they tasted good in the end. Any suggestions on what went wrong? Also, I'm wondering if 4 tablespoons of butter were necessary because the flavor of the almond is a little subdued and I feel like maybe just 2 or 3 would've been enough.
Katie: Thank you!
Siyi: I'm sorry they didn't work out on your first try! Too brown on the outsides would indicate cooking for too long or at too high of a temperature, sinking a little in the middle is normal, and I think the butter issue is a personal preference.
If you're interested in making them again (and I hope you are - these are addictive!) I would double check to make sure that you are using glutinous rice flour, not just rice flour. Also, try baking them in a water bath and add a few minutes to the cooking time. Finally, cut down the butter a tablespoon or two or increase the extract a half teaspoon; that should solve that problem.
I've made these several times with these exact measurements and temperature and haven't had any problems. I hope you'll give them a second chance!
I can not WAIT to try these. I adore almonds and marzipan and these are perfect. Can you get the rice flour anywhere? Or do you recommend a gourmet version?
Can't Wait!
Kathleen: As long as it is glutinous/sweet rice flour it doesn't matter. It is often marketed as mochiko. I found mine at in the Asian foods section at my local grocery store. If you can't find it there try any Asian foods market.
Also, sometimes if you live in an area that predominantly one ethnic minority, their specialty stores will carry hard to find ingredients for other types of ethnic cooking. Example - when I lived in CA it was hard to find some Asian ingredients like oyster sauce, but I could often find them at the local Latin market.
They just came out of the oven and we have very few mini muffin size left :):):) EXCELLENT. we used plain rice flour and can't wait to try it with the real glutinuous rice flour because we can't imagine they can taste any better. DELICIOUS! THANKS!
Rose: I'm so glad you liked them! They've become an instant favorite in our house.