Tigrés (tiger-striped almond cakes) (also gluten-free)

Some people (I, for example) can't go too long without chocolate. After a week of Easter bread baking, here's an easy treat that is sure to live up to expectations.

These tiger-striped little cakes are filled with a creamy chocolate ganache (a soft truffle like filling, bam!). Ideally, the mold shape are savarin or mini-bundts with a cut-out center, or mini-donut molds, but since I don't have those, surprise, surprise, I improvised with cupcake molds. I just cut out the center to pour in the chocolate cream and all is well. If you have the mini-savarin molds, you are blessed. I did use chocolate sprinkles since I found them per chance the other day, and they inspired these little cakes. You can also use mini-chocolate chips, but would get less of the tiger stripe effect.

Here's the recipe :

Batter:

180 g butter (3/4 cup)

170 g sugar (2/3 cup)

3 eggs

60 g flour or gluten-free blend (1/2 cup)

60 g cornstarch (1/2 cup)

60 g almond powder (1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon rum or almond extract

5 g or 1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

40 g chocolate sprinkles (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven 350° / 180 °C. Melt butter and cream with sugar with a beater or a whisk. Add eggs one at a time and beat about 2-3 minutes until lightened in color. Fold in different flours and the rest of the ingredients one at a time. Spoon into mini-savarin, mini-donut or silicone cupcake molds. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center has risen and cakes are a light golden brown color. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

For chocolate ganache

100 g semi-sweet chocolate (1 cup)

100 ml heavy whipping cream (less than 1/2 a cup)

In a small pan, over medium heat, warm whipping cream about 1-2 minute until simmering. Take off from heat and add chocolate. Stir until chocolate has softened completely and cream is uniform. Allow to cool about 10 minutes.

Remove cooled cakes from molds and if you have a donut hole in center, turn them upside down and spoon or pipe in cooled chocolate ganache (better with chocolate almost set so it doesn’t seep). If you've used cupcake molds, then turn cakes upside down, and on the flat side, gently scoop out 1/2 inch deep circles of cake and spoon in chocolate ganache in this center (you'll have plenty of nibbles for taste testing). Allow the chocolate to set, about an hour. Enjoy, everyone!

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