Yes, I’ve made quite a few of these little cakes now: the original jammy cakes, then pumpkin and carrot. There is also banana, and cherry. I love them all equally, but the tart lemon curd and rich almond cream hit all the right notes in this version, and they are a treat.
Lemon and almond are one of those underrated flavor combinations that just work. The tart, sunny lemon curd gets a little extra depth from the warm, nutty aroma of the almond extract, creating a flavor that’s fresh, fragrant, and impossible to stop eating.
These little cakes pack quite a punch: first, a layer of cake, then rich almond cream made with almond flour and almond extract, followed by homemade lemon curd. Finally, a light streusel neatly covering each top to make for one delicious bite.
I like to eat them just barely warm, but they are great the next day too. One of my favorite things about this recipe is the streusel topping is made from the dry cake base, which cuts down on extra bowls and time preparing them.
To make them, you’ll need eight 4-inch springform cake pans, 4-inch cake pans, or jumbo muffin pans. All of these options work great.
Creamy Almond & Lemon Coffee Cakes
Ingredients
Almond Cream
- 4 tablespoons [57 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
- Pinch fine salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup [50 g] almond meal
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Cake
- 3/4 cup [180 g] sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup [60 g] buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups [320 g] all-purpose flour
- 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons [1 1/2 sticks or 170 g] unsalted butter, cut into 1 in [2.5 cm] pieces, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup [225 g] lemon curd
Equipment
Instructions
For the Almond Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and salt and mix until well incorporated and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the almond extract and almond meal and mix again until incorporated. Scraped down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, mixing on low, then add the egg and mix again. until combined The mixture may look broken at this point, but that is normal. The cream will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Let come to room temperature before trying to spread.
For the cake
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Grease eight 4 in [10 cm] cake pans or springform pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Or prepare a jumbo muffin pan or ramekins (see note).
- In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the flour and granulated sugar on low speed. Add the butter, one piece at a time, beating until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Remove 1 cup [130 g] of the mixture and set it aside in small bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and use a spatula to mix the batter a few more times. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Divide the almond cream among the pans and smooth the tops with the back of a greased spoon. Spread 2 tablespoons of lemon curd evenly over the cake batter in each pan.
- Divide the reserved flour-butter mixture among the pans, sprinkling it evenly over the tops. Tap the pans gently on the counter twice to help get rid of any air bubbles.
- Place the cake pans on a large sheet pan and bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 26 to 32 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool until barely warm or at room temperature.
- Remove the cakes from their pans and serve. Alternatively, the cakes can be covered in plastic wrap after cooling and stored in the refrigerator overnight.
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