Folie aux amandes, part deux

So the problem with the recipe below is that it actually makes a blue ton of almond filling.

Perhaps you are a not a cook like me, and you happen to have 102 pounds of puff pastry on hand, due to an extreme love of baklava or an intimate relationship with a bulk foods provider.

But in case you happen to be more of a lackadaisical cook (like myself) and aren't swimming in the papery, buttery stuff, there will be a lot of leftover filling for the little almond pastries featured below.

And hopefully, your coworkers are also going to want to eat some sort of almond mess long after those teensy twelve pastries are gone, so the best option is clearly to make a coffee cake. Especially if, like me, your office party is at 2 on a Friday, prime time for coffee and wishing you weren't doing any work at all.


"What may seem like leftovers but is actually the real deal" almond coffee cake

1/2 C. butter, softened (one stick)
1 C. white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 C. rice milk (I'm sure cow milk is fine, this is just what I had)
2 oz. cream cheese (I used neufschatel cheese)

1 C. almond filling (see recipe below)
2 oz. cream cheese (I used neufschatel cheese)
2 T. confectioner's sugar
pinch of powdered ginger

confectioner's sugar, for garnish
sliced almonds, for garnish

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold in 2 oz. cream cheese and pour in the rice milk at the end. Beat until smooth.

2. In a small mixing bowl, beat almond filling, 2 oz. cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and ginger until smooth.

3. Spoon half of the cake batter into a greased 10-in. tube pan. Top with filling and remaining batter.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Once cooled, invert cake to a plate.


There she is, baking and golden brown.

4. Top with confectioner's sugar and slivered almonds before serving. I say that now, but I may end up drizzling the cake with some leftover cranberry simple syrup and then adding the almond sprinkles.

Trust me, no one at work is going to ever want to think of almonds ever again after this party.


The finished product. I went with confectioner's sugar after all.

I haven't even gotten to the brownie recipe for tomorrow yet, though really I may not post it here, since it's cribbed directly from allrecipes.com and uses the evil stepchild, shortening.

I would like to say I am the girl who makes a better, more healthy version of these brownies with a fat that doesn't make me cringe. The truth is, I have shortening in my pantry that I'm dying to get rid of before I move and I can't figure out how else to do that than to pawn it off on my unsuspecting work friends. Let this blog serve as a confession booth as well as a depository for recipes I've tried and maybe failed.

So, off to bed I must go, since I have my standing Friday brunch date in a few short hours and there is still a red pepper sauce to prepare. Good, gastronomical things are happening for breakfast tomorrow, involving the prettiest poached eggs you ever did see, and a lovely sauce to boot. But those, my dear, will have to wait for another time.

Ta ta.