Almond Cake
Makes 2 dozen
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup whole milk
8 large egg whites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk
attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer
running, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed
until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat butter and 2 cups sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 4
minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and almond extract.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating
with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just
combined.
Gently fold 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture
until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a
heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the
cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a
cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire
rack.
White Chocolate Mascarpone Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
10 ounces mascarpone
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup cream
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
Melt chopped white chocolate and cream in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Combine butter and mascarpone in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment until smooth, about two minutes. With mixer running on low speed add cooled white chocolate mixture. When combined, slowly add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
Assembly
Spoon one jar (about eight ounces) apricot preserves into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth, then spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a wide tip. Force the apricot preserves into the center of each cooled cupcake.
Frost with white chocolate mascarpone frosting.
