Challenge Book # 34 - Tiger Tea Cakes

Don't you just want to take a great big lick of this chocolate ganache? I know I certainly do!!!! And I've already eaten a pile of the stuff.

I just can't resist good chocolate. The budget stuff I can ignore till the cows come home. But deep, rich, quality chocolate owns my soul.

I do not keep it in the house, because if it is there it must be eaten. All of it!!! It does not matter what time of day it is, what else I've eaten, or how deeply I've buried it behind old sauce bottles or odd socks. Once my mind knows that it is there, its siren call drags me onto the rocks of overindulgence every time.


So while I really enjoyed these little tea cakes. What I really loved was the bonus hit of the rich, silky smooth ganache. It just made them something a bit extra special.

The cakes themselves are lovely and moist, with a delicious almond and chocolate flavour. Like most almond meal cakes, they are slightly on the heavy side though. One is enough. Next time I think I will make them in a mini muffin tin.

The method of making them is unusual, at least to me. Only egg whites are used and they are briefly mixed together with the almonds, sugar, flour and corn syrup before being refrigerated. It's easy enough and it works beautifully. So no complaints from me!!!


These tea cakes come courtesy of Dorrie Greenspan's Paris Sweets. Dorrie of course needs no introduction to the blogging community. There is a blog event (Tuesday's with Dorrie) entirely devoted to her recipes.

Paris Sweets is of course Challenge Book #34 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is by the way, where I have to make something from every cookbook I own before I can buy any new ones.

This is a lovely, lovely book. All the recipes are gathered from Parisian patisseries. It makes me just want to jump on a plane to Paris and start eating!!

I have had this book for ages, but shamefully have only tried a few recipes. I can highly recommend the TV snacks. Lovely little buttery biscuit shots tinged with salt. Delicious!!

Tiger Tea Cakes
(adapted from Paris Sweets)

6 large egg whites
235gm ground almonds
150gm sugar
45gm plain flour
210gm unsalted butter
25gm light corn syrup
145gm dark chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk the egg whites to just break them up. Add the ground almonds, sugar, flour and corn syrup. Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Bring the butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir into the batter. When the batter has cooled, stir in the chopped chocolate.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the mixture into a buttered muffin mold.

Bake in a 180C oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool.

Chocolate Ganache
(adapted from Paris Sweets)

230gm dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
60gm unsalted butter, chopped

Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour it over the chocolate and let the mixture rest briefly. Very gently stir until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the butter until melted.

Refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to hold it's own shape. Pipe onto the top of the cakes. Dorrie notes that the original tiger cakes are first turned upside down.