By Maddie Day
Mexican Chocolate Almond Cakes
Robbie’s high school friend makes these easy mini-cakes as a dessert at his food truck in Nacho Average Murder. They are like eating Mexican hot chocolate in a cake.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with oil.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup unbleached flour or rice flour (for gluten free)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick butter
- 1/3 cup dark cocoa
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon dark rum or bourbon
- 3/4 cup sugar
Directions:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until fragrant and deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes, stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, chipotle powder, and rum. Set aside.
- Whip egg whites on medium-high until light and foamy. Don’t over beat or they will become dry and still. With mixer running, slowly add sugar and continue to whip until thick and glossy and holds soft peaks, 2 to 4 minutes. Reduce to low and gradually add flours and salt until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
- With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in butter mixture until integrated. Remove bowl from mixer and using a spatula, fold the batter by hand a few times, then divide evenly among the muffin cups.
- Bake until toothpick inserted into the cakes at the center comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for five minutes in the pan before removing, then cool completely before serving.
Robbie Jordan is temporarily leaving Pans ’N Pancakes, her country store in South Lick, Indiana, to visit Santa Barbara, California—where wildfire smoke tinges the air, but a more immediate danger may lie in wait . . .
While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .
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