Mini Almond Butter Cake

Yield: 1 x 14cm round cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs, room temperature, separated

60g fine sugar

50g unsalted butter, softened

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

60g cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp milk

1 tbsp almond flakes, for decoration 

Directions:

1. Mix cake flour and baking powder in a bowl using a hand whisk. Set aside.

2. Whip softened butter till it becomes pale yellow. Add in 40g of the sugar, continue to whip till fluffy. Then follow by egg yolks, adding one at a time, to the batter. Blend well.

(remaining 20g sugar to be mixed with egg white later). 

3. Sieve the flour mixture into the batter in 3 portions. Add 1 tsp of milk to the batter after each flour addition. Alternating between flour and milk, and end with flour.

4. In a clean grease-free bowl, whip egg whites till frothy, by using an electric hand mixer for about 1/2 minute at high speed.

 Add in the remaining 20g sugar mixed with cream of tartar, and continue to beat at lower speed. 

When all the sugar has well incorporated to the egg whites, increase the mixer speed to high, and beat for about 2 minutes, or till firm peaks formed.

The tips of the egg whites batter are slightly bent.

5. Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius .

6. Take 1/3 of the egg whites to combine with the butter batter at (3) and mix well.

7. Return the butter batter to the remaining egg whites, and mix well.

8. After the batter has been well blended, pour it into a 14cm diameter cake mould lined with parchment paper.

9. Bang the cake mould against the table top to get rid of trapped air. 

10. Arrange some almond flakes on top of the batter.  Bake in an pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 170 degree Celsius, or till a clean skewer inserted and pull out clean, and the top turns golden.

11. Lift the cake out of the cake mould and let it cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut and serve :)