Make the most of fresh cherry season by baking the little stone fruits right into charming tea cakes. The cakes, made with ground almonds, brown butter, and egg whites, are similar to financiers, which are small, springy brick-shaped cakes named for their resemblance to gold bullion. These cakes are baked with the pits left inside the cherries (be sure to warn guests before serving). Or, if you prefer, remove the pits before baking, leaving the stems intact.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 30 mini
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush mini muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is lightly browned and fragrant. Skim foam from top, and remove from heat.
Step 2
In a food processor, finely grind almonds (you should have 1 cup), and transfer to a bowl; whisk in flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add egg whites, and whisk until smooth. Stir in kirsch. Pour in browned butter, leaving any burned sediment behind, and whisk to combine. Let batter rest 20 minutes.
Step 3
Fill each prepared cup with 1 tablespoon batter. Push a cherry into batter of each cup, keeping stem end up. With a small spoon, smooth batter over cherries to cover.
Step 4
Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted near cherries comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or knife around edges to loosen; turn out cakes onto racks to cool completely. Cakes can be stored overnight at room temperature in airtight containers.
