Tea Cakes with Pineapple
These little petit fours or tea cakes with an almond base are delightful little bites with a pineapple surprise inside.
(Note: I’ve shared a short video of these tea cakes on my Instagram account.)
Yesterday marked the return of an annual food blogger cookie exchange/lunch that my friends and I have been celebrating since 2010. The pandemic happened on what would have been our tenth anniversary of sharing cookies, a potluck lunch, wine and the excitement of the holidays. After a three-year break, our return to tradition was especially joyful and meaningful.
Yours truly ever indecisive and eager to please, I couldn’t narrow down my list of cookies to share. When one type of cookie has been our agreement, I showed up with three baked goods this year. Maybe I was trying to make up for lost time. Or secretly I may have just been looking for an excuse to make these tea cakes again.
These are Pineapple Tea Cakes from French pastry chef, Francois Payard. I first shared the recipe here in 2011 and they have been a personal favorite since. My earliest recipe posts not gaining much traction over the years, I felt this one deserved a fresh spotlight. These tea cakes have an almond paste base with a pineapple surprise inside. Buttery with a delicate texture, nutty and just slightly sweet, I can’t imagine a better bite-sized sweet treat.
The possibilities are endless, too. Instead of pineapple chunks, Mr. Payard suggests an add-in of rum and raisins (though my raisin-averse husband might need some convincing). I can think of numerous other ways to make the base recipe work for seasonal fruits and maybe even a savory application.
These little cakes are meant to be baked in mini paper cups but how much more beautiful are they baked in mini bundt molds. They were well-received at yesterday’s holiday get-together and I now understand why Mr. Payard’s original recipe, though I’ve scaled it down, makes 100 divine little treats. They disappear quickly!
The recipe below makes about 35 tea cakes but you can visit the original post here to make 100.
The Nordic Ware Tea Cake pan is available here.
Tea Cakes with Pineapple
These little petit fours or tea cakes with an almond base are delightful little bites with a pineapple surprise inside.
Ingredients
- 230 grams almond paste
- 3/4 tablespoons apricot preserves (okay to round up to 1 tbsp)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 27 grams all-purpose flour
- 67 grams melted butter
- small can pineapple chunks
- powdered sugar
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350ºF. If using mini paper muffin cups, arrange them on a baking sheet. If using a mini bundt mold, butter and flour each well, tapping off the excess.
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Using an electric or stand mixer, beat the almond paste and the apricot preserve at medium speed until the mixture is smooth (see note). Beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at time, waiting until each one has been fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour next and use low speed to mix. Lastly, add the melted butter and mix until well-blended.
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Use a pastry bag or a teaspoon to spoon and fill the muffin cups or bundt wells, filling only 3/4 cups full. Place a cube of pineapple in each well and sprinkle with powdered sugar before baking. (Before putting in the oven tap your baking sheet or mould lightly to fill in the wells.)
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For the mini bundt molds bake for about 20 minutes and for the mini muffin cups, about 16 minutes until lightly golden brown. Unmold from the bundt pan and dust with powdered sugar if you wish.
Recipe Notes
Almond Paste: Don’t worry if your almond paste resists getting completely smooth while mixing. Mash the largest chunks in the bowl with the back of a spoon and don’t worry about it. The chunks bake out.
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