Tangerine Tea Cakes

Maito's Note:

This is an adaptation from Gale Gand, one of my favorite pastry chefs. These cookies are so good! They have the texture of a madeleine. They are tiny, so guests can eat at least a few of them. If you can't find tangerine marmalade, you could probably substitute orange marmalade or jam.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 35 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 14

Yield: 60.0 tea cakes

• 7 ounces almond paste
• 1 tablespoon tangerine marmalade
• 2 tangerines, zest of (I use a microplaner)
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ¼ cup flour
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
• powdered sugar

Directions:

1. These tiny tea cakes can be prepared in a silicone tart pan, or in petit four or mini muffin paper cups. If using, arrange cups on a sheet pan. Yield will depend on the size you choose.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
3. In a mixer, beat almond paste, marmalade and zest for a few minutes, until broken apart. Add eggs one at a time, adding the single yolk last. Mix in the flour on low speed, until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the melted butter, and mix until blended. Batter will be very thin.
4. Fill tart pan or cups nearly full using a spoon or pastry bag, if preferred. Bake until firm and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar. These can be served right in the cups. Enjoy your little gems!

Reviews

[FLKeysJen]

Like a very moist almond pound cake with subtle tangerine flavor. My mini muffin pan must be bigger than your tart pan because I ended up with 24 fragrant tea cakes. The ones in muffin cups took 15 minutes to cook and without took 12 minutes. I couldn't find tangerine marmalade anywhere in Orlando so ordered on-line from jellybasket.com. Using orange marmalade would not make a huge difference in flavor.