Almond Cakelets with Pomegranate Glaze
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New Year’s Eve calls for a celebratory dessert, especially one that pairs well with a sparkling glass of champagne. Enter light and airy almond cakelets with naturally pink pomegranate glaze, a nice contrast to all the holiday excess.
Cake flour gives the cakelets a fine crumb; almond paste and Amaretto perfume each bite. Dipped in sweet-tart pomegranate glaze and topped with pomegranate seeds, these mini cakes will delight you and your guests. Glaze just before serving (cakelets can be baked a day ahead), and enjoy!
Almond Cakelets with Pomegranate Glaze
- Yield: 8 cakelets
Ingredients
Cakelets
- 2 cups cake flour (see note below)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz almond paste, cubed
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp Amaretto
- 1/8 tsp pure almond extract
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 tsp Amaretto
- 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Topping
- pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour a bundlette cake pan. Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, almond paste, and sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well; beat in amaretto and almond extract. Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a small bowl. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture. Add yogurt mixture, and finish with remaining flour mixture.
- Fill each cavity 2/3 full and tap pan sharply to remove air bubbles. Bake for 21-23 minutes, until cakelets are golden, spring back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakelets in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and salt in a small bowl. Press pomegranate seeds through a fine mesh strainer, straining juice into powdered sugar. Whisk in amaretto and melted butter until smooth. Set rack with cakelets over a piece of wax paper. Dip cakelet tops into glaze, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, and let set on rack before serving.
Notes
To make your own cake flour: place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in an empty 1-cup measure, then top up with flour. Sift the mixture several times to evenly distribute the cornstarch.
Baking pan: I used this Nordic Ware Bundlette Pan.
Nutrition
- Calories: 425
- Carbohydrates: 72
YUM! I sure won’t be able to resist this when I’m served a plate.
The colour of these is just perfect and I love anything that accompanies a glass of champagne. Happy New Year.
What a lovely little dessert…how could anyone resist eating one. Wishing you all the best in this new year.
Those are so pretty! I would have to gaze longingly at them before stabbing them with a fork.
Happy New Year, Laura! I hope 2016 is a great year for you.
What adorable cakes! Love the pink pomegranate glaze, so pretty. I imagine it goes wonderfully with the almond cake too 🙂
These cakelets are GORGEOUS, Laura! That color! That glaze! Your photos are perfection. Wishing you a happy 2016 filled with sweet, pretty things. xx
Thank you dear! 🙂 Hope your New Year’s Eve was wonderful! xo